After 34 years, Bob Baker and his wife Eileen, the owners of Richworth Baits, are to retire after a long and successful career in the readymade boilie and bait business.
Richworth was the first company in the world to produce readymade freezer boilies way back in 1983. The idea of installing chest freezers in tackle shops to house the range of frozen boilies soon made Richworth a winner. I remember walking into Tackle Up in Ash Vale, Surrey, at the time and being amazed to find freezer packs of 14mm and 18mm boilies all ready to use. Along with many other carp anglers, the enjoyment of making your own boilies soon turned into a chore, and as the flavours got smellier, the kitchen became out of bounds for bait making in many households.
I can’t remember who, but someone (it may have been me!) once said: “From a water butt to the largest inland water, there’s not a carp anywhere in the world that won’t eat a Tutti Frutti boilie!”
Long-time carp anglers will remember with affection such great baits as Salmon Supreme, Honey Yucatan, Pineapple Hawaiian, Tutti-Frutti, Esterberry, White Chocolate, Tropicano, Crab & Mussel, Plum Royale, etc., as well as modern classics such as K-G-1 and S-core, all of them hugely successful baits.
As the company grew, it was apparent that far larger premises were required. So in 1990, Richworth Baits moved to a 12,000 sq ft factory in West Molesey, Surrey, which had its own 600ft-deep bore hole, where all the water for the manufacturing process was abstracted. Much of the equipment was designed and custom-made for the job of producing boilies. The egg consumption alone over the years is mind-blowing, let alone the thousands of tons of raw ingredients used. It’s from this base that all production, packing and shipping of baits to the UK and mainland Europe took place.
Bob is a notable carp angler in his own right, and using his own baits, he has accounted for carp to 40lb in this country (from way back) and tasted success at demanding venues such as Savay, Redmire and various Colne Valley waters. He has also caught some big carp from abroad, including a monster 85½lb mirror from the Graviers in France.
Bob is looking for serious buyers to continue the business and can be contacted on 0208 941 7770.
