I know that some anglers insist that the best way to prepare expander pellets is to do them on the day you are fishing, on the bank, using water from the lake you are fishing on.

And while I am in no way knocking this preparation method, I go about it a bit differently, and I can’t say that my results have suffered as a result.
 
I love the Sonubaits Fin Perfect 4mm Expanders and even if I was not sponsored by Sonu, I’d buy them, because they are so well made and they stay on the hook, even if you lift and miss a bite.

When it comes to pumping expanders, I don’t use a standard pellet pump.; Instead, I use a B & Q drain un-blocker, which is quite powerful and can pump a lot of pellets at once. Once I have pumped my expanders, which, because of this tool ALWAYS sink first time, I take them out of the pump, drain off all the water and put them loosely in a plastic bag which is then put into my bait fridge.

I‘ll carry out this preliminary pumping of the pellets at tea-time the night before a match. In mid-evening I will take the pellets out and put them into the pump again. Now by this time they will have absorbed what little water was in the bag, and they will now be floating again, a quick pump soon sinks them and again they take on a little more water. If I want the pellets to be of a firm texture, at this stage I will bag them tight, with no air, and they are perfect for the next day. However, if I want an even softer expander, such as when fishing for skimmers, I will give them one more run though in the expander pump the next morning before I travel to the match.

I find that the best hook for the 4mm pellet is the Preston PR24. It is a superb pattern, razor sharp, light and the pellets sit really well on this hook in a size 18. The gauge of the wire is perfect for a number eight Preston original black slip elastic.

Our team, Preston Thatcher’s, used the Sonubaits Fin Perfect 4mm expander pellets to win the Angling Times southern semi-final of the Angling Times Team Championships, at Monk Lakes, in Kent.

A float that played a key part in our success was the Preston Classic 10. This has a carbon stem, slim oval body and plastic tip and makes a good on-the-drop float pattern. We used it in a .40g size, which is light by Monk Lakes’ standards because the venue is exposed and often very windy. Feeding a few 2mm Fin Perfect feed pellets, softened by soaking , was the trigger to get F1s and stockie carp feeding on pegs where the wind allowed it.

What with using my drain unblocker to pump pellets, you could say I drove home that night feeling flushed with success!