Spotted Fin: #SomethingNewIsComing

The big questions

Pele, let’s start from the beginning: how did Spotted Fin come about?
“Spotted Fin was an idea born out of a conversation with a few people I was fishing with at Sandhurst. We talked about building a brand that was different to all the others out there, that had the right ethos and principles. To build a brand that transcended individual fishing disciplines but each part of the group would have the right experts, business advisors and anglers to be able to carve out a niche that could be recognised as a class leader.”

Danny Grace with The Anchor at 42lb 4oz from Essex Manor

But are you really that different to the next company?
“Yes, we are. Firstly we bring together bait ingredients and bait making to match, carp and terminal tackle. We brought in tackle developers who have been on this journey before so knew the pitfalls but also had strong developmental capabilities. We spent months sourcing the best bait ingredients across the globe. We spent over a year working on just the liquid that goes into our new boilie range before we developed the actual boilie which took us many more months. We brought in some of the best in their field to develop our match capability and we went to arguably the heart of carp fishing in the UK to Essex and Kent to seek out anglers that were the best at what they did and just under the radar in the carp world.”

Andrew Fuller with a Blue Pool thirty

It sounds very impressive. So what products will you be selling?
“We have over 170 different bait making products. We have developed arguably the best soft and semi-stiff coated hooklinks on the European market in 15lb, 25lb and 35lb breaking strain. We have started work on a whole new range of hooks, a number of which will be out in April with the hooklinks and some other terminal tackle. We have developed our own PVA range from bags to boilie mesh that is a class leader. We will release our first boilie range in early summer after the release of the tackle. Our second boilie range will come later in the year. We have also brought onboard bait making experts to help us show anglers how they can use our ingredients.”

Paul Harris with Buster at 40lb 4oz from The Dell

Can we ask where your products are made?
“That’s a state secret! But we are working with a major UK manufacturer for our tackle, and our ingredients we source from all over the world from Norway to Eastern Asia to Spain, South America and beyond.”

And where will our readers be able to buy your products?
Visit www.spottedfin.com where you will find our easy to navigate internet site. We are currently in discussions with some tackle shops about stocking our boilie range and terminal tackle.”

Will the products break the bank?
“No! We want to be competitive but provide the highest possible quality products. We don’t believe nor can we ever justify selling a kilo of bait for £15. Our bait will be available for around £12* per kilo, going down to £7 a kilo for 20kg or more
. Demand is already high for this product as it has been so successful on difficult waters like the Essex Manor, Chilham and The Dell.
Our terminal tackle will be priced appropriately to the market – for example our hooklink will cost around £13-£14*.” *Prices may change at time of launch.

One of the main racks holding all manner of ingredients

How do we know the products are as good as you say?
“That’s easy: our consultants and testers have been testing hundreds of products over the last years/months to ensure they have been effectively developed. We are so confident customers will be satisfied that we will offer a full refund if for any reason they are not. We are knowingly entering an oversubscribed market so we have to ensure our products are comparable or better than the current class leader. We believe we have achieved that. Our bait works time after time, providing fish a new profile with all the goodness and capability the fish are looking for. We will let our anglers and the fish do the talking on that.”

Who has been testing it?
“We have a large number of consultants and testers who have been working week in, week out on the banks to test our baits, our tackle and our ingredients. It has been important to us to bring fresh, new confident anglers into this market and this brand with us. We have also sent products to various independent magazine and publications for testing and review.”

Are you currently looking for field-testers?
“Yes! We are looking to support young anglers to become a part of Junior Team Fin, along with strong confident females for our Ladies Team Fin. Angling is a multi-faceted sport and gender or age should not be an issue for new companies trying to promote the sport.”

Finally, Pele, where do you see yourselves in three years time and what else does the future hold?
“Spotted Fin has lots in the pipeline. We have plans with new technology that will change the way people shop on-line for angling products. We are looking at phase two of our real estate plan to deliver even better services to the customer and more products such as clothing and accessories. We are also looking at our own testing facilities both in the UK and abroad as well as hopefully being a major sponsor of angling competitions and the like. There are also other strategies in play in other areas of fishing outside of the carp and match areas. 

“So, in three years we expect to be a top tier angling brand across both the carp and match sector at least and we plan to have a significant presence in all major competitions. We want people to join Team Fin, to take part in the journey with us, whether you fish a small local lake or one of the massive syndicate lakes. This is a brand that wants to be part of the customer’s experience from the time they pick up a rod through their angling career and beyond. We built this brand for you, a trusting, innovative brand that has integrity and the capability to deliver on all fronts… all we ask is you become a part of it with us.”