I've messed around with a lot of pale ales
1) UK style: I have a Golden Ale on tap now (SMaSH beer: Thomas Fawcett's Golden Promise, EKG, & the Timothy Taylor Strain) that's pretty light at 1.040 OG/10 plato, 30ibus. I hopped at 60m, 10m, Hop Stand, & Dry for this one. Pretty citrusy and bready. Also a big fan of ordinary bitter in which I've used less late hops and 5-10% UK medium crystal malt. Water usually fairly high in Calcium Sulfate. Mashed at 5.4ph, finished beers ended up pretty low.
2) US Style: I tend to focus on the modern NorthEast style juicy pale ales. I've used 85% Pale Malt, 15% Flaked Oats, and 1/2 oz to an oz per gallon of hops in a long (60-90m) hop stand and an oz or 2 per gallon dry hopped. I've liked Conan and english yeast strains for this style more than S-05. Seems to stack up well with the Tired Hands/Vermont beers I enjoy.
Let us know what you're going for and we can get more specific.