World Carp Classic - Official Global Website
Lake Bolsena 2nd - 8th September 2012

Bob Baker, owner of the Richworth bait company, pauses as he ponders his answer. “What have we got in store for 2012?” he repeats the question, and then adds tantalisingly, “The objective is a bait that outfishes everything else. It’s not named yet but the concept is in place.”

Read the full Angling International July 2011 article to see what Richworth - section sponsor of the World Carp Classic aim to unveil at the time of the event.

Sitting with Bob in his UK office are his wife Eileen, sons Colin and Steve and Media Manager Pete Wilson. The talk is about the world of carp baits, and, more specifically, the next big ideas soon to come off the Richworth production line.

The meeting is a fascinating insight into a family business that has produced a long list of memorable, some might even say, iconic, baits (Tutti Frutti, KG1, XLR8). But this winning team is always striving to go one better as it accelerates its growing influence across Europe.

Richworth was the first company to produce readymade boilies back in 1983 – and time hasn’t dulled its appetite for new products. There’s plenty in this conversation to excite carp anglers the world over.

Unfazed by current full frontal assaults on Europe from Chinese and Japanese bait companies, Bob explains how Richworth has built good export business in Russia and Ukraine in particular and has identified ample headroom for its products in other territories.

“The growth for us is in Europe right now,” he says. “We’ve come a long way since a Dutch guy would drive over and load his van and take our baits back for his customers. European sales are now on the higher side of 50% of our business. It’s something we want to build on. Frankly, firms not exporting are going to be in trouble in the winter.”

At Richworth, quality is key. The company recognises that in a competitive market besieged by more than 200 companies in the UK alone, a product development programme driven by quality is the only sustainable strategy. Accordingly, its reputation is built on a strict adherence to the simple premise that the best baits catch the best fish.

“Anglers can stick with a successful brand for life, so we consider it essential that we provide the best quality possible,” says Pete Wilson, a consultant for three years before becoming Media Manager. “That is why our team of developers and field testers is so vital. One of our consultants, Steve Renyard, only fishes at weekends on crowded waters where the best swims are taken, so he knows his bait has to be the best. It’s a rigorous development process and only the very best baits come through.”

A 600ft deep bore hole situated behind the company’s factory – from which it abstracts chlorine-free water for its manufacturing processes – is another big advantage in the company’s quest for quality. Everything is produced, packed and shipped from the 12,000 sq ft site.

So what of Bob’s intriguing earlier reference to new baits? “We will have a collection of baits ready for early 2012 and the range will be anchored by an exceptional new boilie,” he reveals. “We have sourced the raw materials and a concept is in place for a boilie that will be as successful at KG1, Tutti Frutti and XLR8. We will build a range around this to cover all the carp disciplines.

“We plan to have a finished example of our new bait ready for September’s World Carp Classic.”

Richworth plans to show the development process for the new boilie online, though no ingredients will be revealed. Visitors to the site and to the company’s Facebook page will then be asked to name the bait in a competition.

Martin Bowler, probably Europe’s best-known specimen angler, joined the Richworth consultants team earlier this year and is working on a new barbel bait. A method mix will be ready for January.