Jon Arthur tells you why he rates the latest Drennan AS4 pole floats so highly.
As a self-confessed floataholic, I fell in love with the Drennan AS4 pole float as soon as I saw it. I could tell straight away that it was a great little float for catching big ugly fish! I’ve now had a number of sessions using them and my initial reaction has been justified.
I’m a big fan of stubby little floats for a number of applications and as the 0.1g only takes three or four No11s it’s perfect.I’ve been using them a lot this winter when ‘dobbing’ for big carp. This deadly winter tactic basically involves suspending a 6-8mm piece of punched bread, a corn skin or two or three dead maggots off the bottom. Dob around any likely looking feature such as an island or reed bed and you’ll be surprised what fish you can fool.
The AS4 works so well as it has a decent 2mm bristle that can take the weight of a relatively heavy hook bait yet still glows up well against tricky backgrounds and the typically awkward and low winter sun. The carbon stem stops the float wobbling while the new design of blackened spring eye ensures the float will take a lot of punishment without unbalancing the rig. I’ve already caught a number of fish at Tunnel Barn Farm, Heronbrook and Makins fisheries with this tactic and used a 0.1g AS4 each time.
Another application is fishing long to islands or down the margins. Again, all the properties just described lend themselves to this style of fishing. The best example of this float coming to good use was last weekend during a round of the teams-of-three winter league at Meadowlands, near Coventry. I had drawn a really good peg on Warren Pool and managed three carp to 6lb plus a 2lb bream by fishing 14.5 metres down the edge with corn. A small 0.1g AS4 fished in nearly 3ft of water ensured the hook bait fell invitingly and offered little resistance to a taking fish. Those four good fish in the last hour, together with eight more carp on the bomb and Method feeder, gave me 53lb and second place overall!
I can see me using this float for a number of shallow fishing applications this summer, while the 0.2g and 0.3g sizes will definitely be my main choice for summer edge work. The extra weight is useful for keeping a hook bait nailed in position when there are (hopefully) lots of tails in the swim! The larger 0.3g and 0.4g sizes are also ideal for up to 6ft of water and positive, summer deck fishing with baits like meat, pellets and worms. I would even use this float for fishing lobworms and dendras on natural venues.
All in all, this is a really sexy little float for quality fish. Forget calling them AS4s – they’re AS Phwoars now!
Jon.