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Tackle Tuesday... Mainline Cell
Mainline’s Cell: it’s a boiled food veteran of the boilie world. There have been more Cell boilies sold than almost all the other baits in the UK put together, but why? Why’s this sweet, nutty bait so successful?
Mainline are, granted, very good when it comes to bait. Their Response Pellets broke the mould when it came to background feed. Their High-Visual Double Strength Pop-Ups are the world’s most popular (and successful) pineapple pop. And their Hookbait Enhancement Systems are now the staple diet of any bait bag. But what Mainline Baits are best at is boiled food – dedicated foodbait boilies to be more precise.
However, it was the mighty Cell that was Mainline’s iPhone moment. An occasion which, looking back, was a leveller. A moment which Dave Lane describes as, “akin to the Hair rig”. Since its launch, this ‘it’s-not-a-fishmeal-nor-a-birdfood’ bait has gone on to be Mainline’s top seller, setting new records which even they never imagined were possible, but how did the UK’s favourite bait come about? We asked Mainline’s front man, Kev Knight…
Who came up with the initial idea for the Cell? “No one person really, although you could say Steve Morgan, as he’s the driving force behind sourcing ingredients and selection due to his extensive knowledge in the food industry and contacts within that field. That said, to begin with the initial ingredients were like any other, as in like many of the ingredients we research, source and then test.”
How many samples were there until you reached the final version which we all use today? “The bait was tested over a two- to three-year period and there were several versions, or progressions, of the bait until we were totally happy and ready to release the final version.”
What’s the key to the Cell: is it the flavour or the base? “Both! The Cell, like any of our freezer baits, is a combination of key ingredients in both liquid and base mix form. You need both, and of course water to kick-start and trigger the reaction of the active ingredients. I don’t think people always understand the importance of these ‘active’ elements within modern day bait making. These ingredients provide the ultimate in food source attraction, the kind of signals the carp are looking for and the ones their sensory organs will respond to. Unfortunately, these active ingredients are less effective when preserved in shelf-life baits, which therefore require a different make-up. Baits containing active ingredient such as those used in Cell have to be freshly frozen to remain stable in storage.”
The Cell’s a unique bait: it’s not a fishmeal, birdfood or a milk protein. Nor is it anything that’s gone before it. It’s a new form of protein which Mainline have discovered and developed and is designed to provide a protein source that is easier for carp to convert than fishmeals and birdfoods, provoking a sustained feeding response in all water temperatures.
Can you tell us anymore on that? “Yes, we could, but as you can appreciate some things, things we’ve learnt from years of trying this and that, testing different ingredients, researching their optimum levels and combinations we keep to ourselves. What I can say is digestibility is a crucial aspect of boilie making and therefore a major part of our considerations where ingredients are concerned. Lots of different things can affect the digestibility of an ingredient and/or bait – is it micronised? How many times? Starch levels? The list goes on. Digestibility has always been a prominent consideration for us. If fish can digest ingredients and baits easily, they will not only absorb a high level of nutrition, but also process the bait with ease. Those two things, coupled with the ‘active’ reaction of the bait in water, promotes an instant feeding response, as well as long term results.”
Did you ever expect its success to continue for this long? “From the results of the testing period we knew the Cell was very special and that it would catch fish, but I guess we never realised the bait would continue to have the impact it has had for so long. It’s just human nature, people just go so long and they want something new, but in the main this has never been the case with the Cell and there’s still no signs of it slowing yet.”
Has the success been detrimental when it’s come to launching other baits? “No, not at all. Our aim at the end of the day is to produce baits that catch fish. Yes, we provide a range of bait choices, of which the Cell is very successful, but we still produce baits such as Activ-8 that still have great popularity. What has been detrimental I suppose, although I guess in a strange way it’s a complement, is the number of bait companies, both big and small, that come along and try to copy us. The packaging, our colour schemes and especially the names, such as Cell.”
Your latest blockbuster is Essential Cell – what’s so special about this bait? “Well, lots of things really. It contains all the necessary aspects of a good quality bait, things which I’ve already said are vital to any bait we release, such as attraction, active ingredients, nutrition and digestibility. The bait came about through our testing process when the new ‘essential’ ingredients we were looking at worked so well with aspects of the Cell mix. A testing period well in excess of three-years was conducted and with a few little tweaks along the way the result was the appropriately named Essential Cell.”
Is the only difference a flavour or is the base different? “There’s a lot of subtle differences really. Any Cell fan perhaps looking for a change will happily maintain their confidence with the Essential Cell and any newcomer will happily find that same level of confidence. The results speak for themselves, if they didn’t the bait, or any bait within our range for that matter, would never get past the testing stage.”
And finally, Mainline hasn’t produced a fishmeal-based bait for years – is there one on the horizon? “Haven’t we? Let me tell you, using a fishmeal ingredient doesn’t mean a bait must smell, look or taste like fish? We can understand that there is an appeal to traditional fishmeal baits, but that really is more of an appeal to the nostrils of the buying angler than the carp. We could make an old school fishy bait with a touch of Robin Red etc. but why, when there are far better, more effective modern ingredients available? It’s like an F1 racing team bringing out a car with a manual gearbox instead of a computerised automatic paddle shift. We’re here to progress, not sit still. That said, we are currently testing what you could describe as a “fishmeal type” bait. Not because of trend or anything else, simply because the right ingredients have become available. These fishmeals, the ones we’re testing, are a very high quality and the testing has, and is going really well, so we hope to bring out this bait very soon, perhaps in the next 12-months.”
Mainline Cell Stats... Biggest carp? Caught on the Cell was the capture of Shoulders at 90lbs+ by Max Cottis from Abbey Lakes.
Who went first? Kev Knight and Steve Morgan were the first to trial the Cell. Next was Dave Lane, Danny Fairbrass, Ali Hamid and Darrell Peck.
Most popular? 15mm is the Cell’s most in demand size. Contrary to popular belief, Mainline do actually sell the Cell in 10mm size.
Biggest fan? That would be Big Fish Off presenter, Ali Hamidi.
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