The common ingredient in the majority of our groundbaits is pellets, and no pellet batches are the same. At Sonubaits we benefit from the scale in which we are able to operate, allowing us to minimise the effects of batch-to-batch variations during our groundbait production. With that said, between batches of ingredients there is always potential for slight variance, something we strive to keep to a minimum.
Pellets are predominantly made for feeding to fish on fish farms to provide all the nutritional requirements for a fish, the pellet has to be eaten by the fish to get its nutrition and therefore every effort is made to make sure the pellet is eaten by the fish, so extra feed stimulating ingredients are added to make sure they are as attractive as possible.
The ingredients in pellets are sourced as freshly as possible taking advantage of what is available. So fishmeal in March could come from Iceland, Fishmeal in June could come from Peru, depending on availability. Obviously, these are different fish being harvested for fishmeal with different processing methods and therefore will have a different taste and flavour profile. This is the same for every ingredient which goes into a pellet, and due to the frequency pellets are made to ensure freshness there will inevitably be differences between each batch even though all ingredients remain the same.
Wheat is a key ingredient in pellets, with Russia and Ukraine wheat stocks no longer viable there will be pressure put on the supply chain and it is likely other ingredients will have to be found to make pellets, again leading to variations on pellets and therefore groundbaits.
Post Brexit regulations have also had an effect on the ingredients which are allowed to be used. This is mainly in relation to colours and now all colours used have to provide some nutritional benefit. These colours come from things like spirulina, a blue - green algae full of vitamins and minerals.
Because of these factors you may notice slight changes in Sonubaits products which contain pellets, however this won’t affect their effectiveness, the pellets still go through rigorous tests to ensure they are highly attractive to fish and therefore provide the nutrition requirements. Many of the pellets used within Sonubaits groundbaits are also unique to Sonubaits, tailored to our specific requirements which allows us to ensure key ingredients and nutritional values within remain constant (regardless of slight batch-to-batch variance).
Because pellets are such an effective bait we use high percentages in our groundbaits which is one of the main reasons they are so effective and continue to increase in popularity. Importantly, you can rest assured Sonubaits groundbaits continue to be the most effective available.