Hemp just keeps sky rocketing in price. But also, there is a terrible perception out there in the world... That we anglers are mugs who will pay a lot more for a product.
For the past two years, I've been sourcing my hemp from an animal feed store up north that specialise in bird feeds. They do 25kg sacks for starters, the hemp itself is great quality and their price has always been competitive. I currently pay £44 for a £25kg sack delivered. £39 for the hemp, £5 delivery.
Suddenly, last week when I went to place my order, things had changed... The £39 per 25kg sack was still there, but was now listed as "Canadian hemp" & "Not fit for fishing". They suddenly had a new extra Chinese type of hemp for £50.50 per 25kg sack (£55.50 delivered)... This stuff is for fishing.
I purchased my £39 sack of hemp, the same as I always do.... Got exactly the same high quality hemp as per... The only difference is it had a new bit of paper stuck onto the sack, with double sided sellotape declaring... Canadian hemp. Not fit for fishing
Don't get conned... This is the first I've ever heard of this one. The hemp itself is identical, comes in the exact same sack as it always did. But apparently us anglers now suddenly need to start paying more than a tenner more than the bird keepers, for exactly the same thing.
For the past two years, I've been sourcing my hemp from an animal feed store up north that specialise in bird feeds. They do 25kg sacks for starters, the hemp itself is great quality and their price has always been competitive. I currently pay £44 for a £25kg sack delivered. £39 for the hemp, £5 delivery.
Suddenly, last week when I went to place my order, things had changed... The £39 per 25kg sack was still there, but was now listed as "Canadian hemp" & "Not fit for fishing". They suddenly had a new extra Chinese type of hemp for £50.50 per 25kg sack (£55.50 delivered)... This stuff is for fishing.
I purchased my £39 sack of hemp, the same as I always do.... Got exactly the same high quality hemp as per... The only difference is it had a new bit of paper stuck onto the sack, with double sided sellotape declaring... Canadian hemp. Not fit for fishing
Don't get conned... This is the first I've ever heard of this one. The hemp itself is identical, comes in the exact same sack as it always did. But apparently us anglers now suddenly need to start paying more than a tenner more than the bird keepers, for exactly the same thing.
In reply to Post #1
That's Carp tax for you
Next time you pop up there, they may have a social media / fishing consultant on board
That's Carp tax for you
Next time you pop up there, they may have a social media / fishing consultant on board
In reply to Post #2
It's not just about consultants and the like anymore though mate. Like this example, there are tonnes of examples of anglers just being completely ripped off, and often just accepting it.
Hook baits/pop ups are another great example. When we first started, it was so hard to convince carp fishing, that something that was actually 100% real food, which actually HAD to rolled one at a time in the palm, and not on a table en masse. Which is then put through numerous processes, that this was worth £13 a tub. Or that a £5 pop up mix tub of pop ups, is really just 20p worth of crap on a commercial scale. Money for old rope. I was told by everyone at the time it would never work, even my good friend who owns the Tackle Box told me it would never work. It did work... Because the quality and results gained were so different to what was already out there. It worked alright...
Fast forwards nearly a decade. Those palm rolled S2 now cost £15 instead of £13 (inflation)... Yet there are numerous people now selling crappy pop up mix pop ups, that cost literally pennies to make, for absolutely exorbitant prices everywhere. A new one pops up every week at the moment. I'm sure like me, Ryan from UB Baits or the previous owner, sits back and laughs at some of the things you now see. They have a sales mans patter to sell the gear, but bottom line anglers are just getting ripped off wholesale.
Imagine if after a few years... I turned to all of the blokes who had caught numerous premium UK 50's etc... And said I was withdrawing the service... That the S2 that they would not go fishing without was no longer available... They could have them still... But that I was going to charge four times the price for them overnight. Undoubtably a lot of them would pay it. But it would be the most stupid business decision ever made.... A decision you'd only make if in truth you had no business... Plus I'd just be a con man.
Don't get conned.
It's not just about consultants and the like anymore though mate. Like this example, there are tonnes of examples of anglers just being completely ripped off, and often just accepting it.
Hook baits/pop ups are another great example. When we first started, it was so hard to convince carp fishing, that something that was actually 100% real food, which actually HAD to rolled one at a time in the palm, and not on a table en masse. Which is then put through numerous processes, that this was worth £13 a tub. Or that a £5 pop up mix tub of pop ups, is really just 20p worth of crap on a commercial scale. Money for old rope. I was told by everyone at the time it would never work, even my good friend who owns the Tackle Box told me it would never work. It did work... Because the quality and results gained were so different to what was already out there. It worked alright...
Fast forwards nearly a decade. Those palm rolled S2 now cost £15 instead of £13 (inflation)... Yet there are numerous people now selling crappy pop up mix pop ups, that cost literally pennies to make, for absolutely exorbitant prices everywhere. A new one pops up every week at the moment. I'm sure like me, Ryan from UB Baits or the previous owner, sits back and laughs at some of the things you now see. They have a sales mans patter to sell the gear, but bottom line anglers are just getting ripped off wholesale.
Imagine if after a few years... I turned to all of the blokes who had caught numerous premium UK 50's etc... And said I was withdrawing the service... That the S2 that they would not go fishing without was no longer available... They could have them still... But that I was going to charge four times the price for them overnight. Undoubtably a lot of them would pay it. But it would be the most stupid business decision ever made.... A decision you'd only make if in truth you had no business... Plus I'd just be a con man.
Don't get conned.
As a side note...Remember early last year when I posted on here and on Faceache how to hard coat the hook baits, that we had came up with so long previous?
Have a look how many mainstream bait companies have released a coated freezer bait since early last year.
Have a look how many mainstream bait companies have released a coated freezer bait since early last year.
Luckily a good mate of mine owns a pet food supplies local to home less than a few miles from my front door so saves me delivery costs picking it up, I get a 25 kilo sack of Hemp premium quality always clean and splits well, 20 kilo of Buckton's pigeon conditioner and 10 kilo of 4mm elipse pellets for £46.00, I was in just last week for the above paid about the same off him for the last 15 years, the prices online are near criminal for a sack of Hemp, I know I'm very fortunate to have a good mate in the animal feed market would be a costly exercise these days buying it online.
In reply to Post #5
It's crap mate. I'm very lucky in that I get anything and everything trade to do with fishing gear or bait. Absolutely anything. Except hemp/particles. All of the local places I used to use have now closed down. For donkeys years I used to drive 20mins to a place at Sutton At Hone, they were superb.
Now I have to use online for my hemp. Part of the reason I use the people I do, is that it's only £5 delivery for 25kg. If I get two sacks, they want like £13 delivery. So I just get regular 25kg sacks delivered one at a time now.
They clearly think that I'm just some random idiot, as they tried hard to pull my pants down for an extra tenner last week the cheeky mofos... And they know I'm a very regular customer too.
It's crap mate. I'm very lucky in that I get anything and everything trade to do with fishing gear or bait. Absolutely anything. Except hemp/particles. All of the local places I used to use have now closed down. For donkeys years I used to drive 20mins to a place at Sutton At Hone, they were superb.
Now I have to use online for my hemp. Part of the reason I use the people I do, is that it's only £5 delivery for 25kg. If I get two sacks, they want like £13 delivery. So I just get regular 25kg sacks delivered one at a time now.
They clearly think that I'm just some random idiot, as they tried hard to pull my pants down for an extra tenner last week the cheeky mofos... And they know I'm a very regular customer too.
Why would anyone buy and prepare their own particles these days with it so easily available from companies already done.I posted on a you tube video about preparing particles yourself and saving money.I had one person tell me I was completely wrong and must be a noddy and a tight git as it saves no money whatsoever.Its nice to see that I'm not the only one who still likes to do my own
In reply to Post #6
Mark have you tried the animal feed barn in sidcup ?
Mark have you tried the animal feed barn in sidcup ?
In reply to Post #7
I know what your saying, I wouldn't get a lot for £46.00 plus I like to have mine fresh not some heavily salted up stuff that's probably been on the shelf for six months or more Braders, I generally take a 5 kilo bucket of mixed particles and 5 kilos of boilie and pellet this time of year for two nights, particle goes on soak Tuesday night cooked Wednesday night and left in the pressure cooker overnight outside to cool down then into a bucket Thursday morning with a splash of good oil ready to use at the lake Friday afternoon.
I know what your saying, I wouldn't get a lot for £46.00 plus I like to have mine fresh not some heavily salted up stuff that's probably been on the shelf for six months or more Braders, I generally take a 5 kilo bucket of mixed particles and 5 kilos of boilie and pellet this time of year for two nights, particle goes on soak Tuesday night cooked Wednesday night and left in the pressure cooker overnight outside to cool down then into a bucket Thursday morning with a splash of good oil ready to use at the lake Friday afternoon.
In reply to Post #7
Always prepare my own and always use it fresh, you know exactly what's in it and you know it's 100% fresh.
Always prepare my own and always use it fresh, you know exactly what's in it and you know it's 100% fresh.
In reply to Post #9
Well this guy on you tube was having none of it,he said it costs more to prepare it yourself than buying it already done.
Well this guy on you tube was having none of it,he said it costs more to prepare it yourself than buying it already done.
In reply to Post #11
Tbf hes probably right. Its £1 a kg prepaired and delivered. All factored in im sire making it yourself isnt cheaper, but thats not why i do it. You can make a much higher quality, much fresher hemp at home.
Tbf hes probably right. Its £1 a kg prepaired and delivered. All factored in im sire making it yourself isnt cheaper, but thats not why i do it. You can make a much higher quality, much fresher hemp at home.
In reply to Post #7
Because you know it's prepared properly, and you can add your own additives at the soak stage if you want, because you can guarantee quality of your own gear. I wouldn't dream of buying pre prepped
Because you know it's prepared properly, and you can add your own additives at the soak stage if you want, because you can guarantee quality of your own gear. I wouldn't dream of buying pre prepped
In reply to Post #13
I tried to say all of this but apparently i was still wrong
I tried to say all of this but apparently i was still wrong
In reply to Post #12
It's not even close,I can go to my local animal feed place and get 25kg groats,20kg pigeon conditioner and 25kg maize for less than £60.I would rather have it fresh and add my own liquids,1kg of unprepared groats will swell to nearly 1.5kg prepared so again better value
It's not even close,I can go to my local animal feed place and get 25kg groats,20kg pigeon conditioner and 25kg maize for less than £60.I would rather have it fresh and add my own liquids,1kg of unprepared groats will swell to nearly 1.5kg prepared so again better value