Is rolling your own cost effective?

[Carpbell_ll]

just as an add, see you get that fermented dry fish in supermarkets caked in salt think it's from Moldova or someplace icey, thinking ground into a dust if it's dry enough never had it out the packet, same for the tinned one that makes you yak when eating it until you acquire the taste,  i'm a fishfingers and beans kind of guy so i won't be yakikng, don't mind failing that purity test. 

[Jone5y]

I think if you're taking time off work to roll bait then you should factor in £ p/hr. If you're doing it in the spare time, it's clearly better than sitting watching the TV doing nothing productive. I think if you frame your life in terms of your time equalling your work pay then it's not cost effective. In fact, everything you do in your spare time besides more paid work isn't cost effective in that sense.

Personally, I would say to try it but not because you want to save money. Do it because you want to explore the bait making experience. Do it because it's unknown to you and it's unnerving. Do it because learning about bait construction may give you key information which will help with many other things in life. Do it because it adds a further sense of adventure to your fishing. Do it because you clearly are intrigued by it and you'll be able to definitively answer the question of "What if?". Surely that's more important than saving a few quid? I certainly think it is! Imagine the laughs you're going to have, the elation the first time your bait catches a fish, the misery that comes from failures, and the joy of learning. Marvellous!

Edited February 15, 2022 by Jone5y

[ouchthathurt]

55 minutes ago, Jone5y said:

I think if you're taking time off work to roll bait then you should factor in £ p/hr. If you're doing it in the spare time, it's clearly better than sitting watching the TV doing nothing productive. I think if you frame your life in terms of your time equalling your work pay then it's not cost effective. In fact, everything you do in your spare time besides more paid work isn't cost effective in that sense.

Personally, I would say to try it but not because you want to save money. Do it because you want to explore the bait making experience. Do it because it's unknown to you and it's unnerving. Do it because learning about bait construction may give you key information which will help with many other things in life. Do it because it adds a further sense of adventure to your fishing. Do it because you clearly are intrigued by it and you'll be able to definitively answer the question of "What if?". Surely that's more important than saving a few quid? I certainly think it is! Imagine the laughs you're going to have, the elation the first time your bait catches a fish, the misery that comes from failures, and the joy of learning. Marvellous!

Love it mate, well said 

[framey]

1 hour ago, Jone5y said:

I think if you're taking time off work to roll bait then you should factor in £ p/hr. If you're doing it in the spare time, it's clearly better than sitting watching the TV doing nothing productive. I think if you frame your life in terms of your time equalling your work pay then it's not cost effective. In fact, everything you do in your spare time besides more paid work isn't cost effective in that sense.

Personally, I would say to try it but not because you want to save money. Do it because you want to explore the bait making experience. Do it because it's unknown to you and it's unnerving. Do it because learning about bait construction may give you key information which will help with many other things in life. Do it because it adds a further sense of adventure to your fishing. Do it because you clearly are intrigued by it and you'll be able to definitively answer the question of "What if?". Surely that's more important than saving a few quid? I certainly think it is! Imagine the laughs you're going to have, the elation the first time your bait catches a fish, the misery that comes from failures, and the joy of learning. Marvellous!

So true dat

[yonny]

13 hours ago, Jone5y said:

I think if you're taking time off work to roll bait then you should factor in £ p/hr. If you're doing it in the spare time, it's clearly better than sitting watching the TV doing nothing productive. I think if you frame your life in terms of your time equalling your work pay then it's not cost effective. In fact, everything you do in your spare time besides more paid work isn't cost effective in that sense.

You raise a good point. I suppose it depends on what else you have going on in your life. I agree that time spent watching TV is worth nothing, you're better off rolling bait. But what about family time or actual fishing time? They're worth more (to me) than what any job could pay me to do.

I'd love to have the spare/TV time to make it costs effective but I just don't😔

[Jone5y]

I think if you're seriously tight on time then it's almost certainly not viable. Firstly, you obviously need time to roll the bait but you'll also need time to satisfy your urge to tinker with your recipe. Everybody I've ever known who started making their own bait developed a bit of an obsession with trying different ingredients etc which takes more time ONTOP of rolling your standard recipe bait. It's surprisingly addictive once you get into it.

[salokcinnodrog]

14 minutes ago, Jone5y said:

I think if you're seriously tight on time then it's almost certainly not viable. Firstly, you obviously need time to roll the bait but you'll also need time to satisfy your urge to tinker with your recipe. Everybody I've ever known who started making their own bait developed a bit of an obsession with trying different ingredients etc which takes more time ONTOP of rolling your standard recipe bait. It's surprisingly addictive once you get into it.

When I was rolling my own, I had to roll them before or after work. Shift times of 4pm to 11 at night meant I could be rolling bait in the morning between 9 and 12, or after work from 12 until 3am. 2nights fishing on my days off meant I could be arriving at the lake around 12.30 at night after work. 

Once I had the bait working well it did not get tinkered with, but I know what you mean. 

 

I got to the stage where I was making up a minimum of 10kilos of base mix every month. 

 

[yonny]

16 hours ago, Jone5y said:

Everybody I've ever known who started making their own bait developed a bit of an obsession

This would 100% happen to me lol.

[Jone5y]

You could always just get a basic recipe, buy a small amount of the ingredients, and have a go to see if you enjoy it. Just do it whenever you have a bit of time. I started out with;

 

20% Semolina

20% Soya Flour

30% Fishmeal (LT94)

20% Bird food (CLO)

10% Milk Powder (Lamlac or Vitomealo)

 

which would be mega-cheap (probably <£3 a kilo) and would catch carp if it's put in the right place all year round. Then if you enjoy it, you can progress by substituting ingredients (there's way too much "bulk" in that mix) and increasing the quality of the mix. For example, dropping the standard fishmeal to 20% and substituting in 10% of pre-digested fishmeal would instantly make it a better quality mix.

[dalej2014]

I certainly don't cover my time rolling baits (and I just do a few for myself). What I do get though, is the freshest bait possible, using ingredients I know are the best I can buy.

For me it's like the difference between, for example, bread in a bag, or freshly baked from the oven. I know what I think smells and tastes better, and what's likely to be eaten first.

This was certainly the case last year when I was catching loads on my own boilies. I don't think I can put a price on that  For me it's home rolled all the way.

Edited February 18, 2022 by dalej2014

[salokcinnodrog]

On 07/02/2022 at 13:19, WARCS said:

if you are making what could become a quality bait and its yours then surely cost per kg is irrelevant. To catch on a good bait you don't need to apply a lot, so a high cost per kg to make is offset by the amount used.  Got to think firstly what are you trying to do with putting in a lot? retaining fish? it can serve to give so much choice the hookbait can be ignored for hours or completely. From experience fish will hang in an area if they feel safe and not bombed with spombs and spods etc. so a quietly introduced small patch will catch, i remember times when I'm running out of bait and think il do another night and i have the best fishing because I'm having to be sparing with bait. using the little trap approach is most often than not doing the opposite to 90% of all the anglers. let someone else pile in the bait and don't worry that you are not using tonnes, 2 factors is all i use first get on the fish or some of them and then small traps with good bait, it works for me.

I agree with the a lot of your post. 

I prefer to fish over small traps myself, and when I leave prebait for my next trip. The prebaiting means I can fish with small traps.

However there are times when it can pay to bait up heavily and the fish move onto it. Larger waters or where a bait may be at its most effective after 3 or 4 days. 

The larger water I prefer to use groundbait and particles as well as boilies. I simply couldn't afford to put in 10kilos of boilies for 2 or 3 days fishing, and I don't think they are as effective in holding fish as particles and groundbait. 

I regularly used to fish Taverham with 10boilies left in the bait bag on the last night. Enough for a fresh hookbait and a stringer. 

 

[chillfactor]

I looked at rolling my own a good few years back.... was some good threads on here about it . I decided it wasn't cost effective & stuck with buying in bulk & freezing.

[hutch]

There is no money to be saved in making your own these days cost of ingredients + delivery + waste/leftover as recipes nearly always have some left overs, so does making your own still have a place of course it does but do it because you get a buzz from learning and putting something together yourself that catches fish.

And yes I do still make my own.