Those approaching self-made carpfishing find themselves facing very different ingredients: birdfood, spices, attractors, liquid components, and mixes designed to work on the texture or characterization of the bait.

For this reason, there is no single universally best ingredient. The most useful question to ask yourself is another one: what function must that ingredient perform within my bait?

Among the best-known brands in the world of bait making is Haith’s, a name closely linked to Robin Red but with a range that goes far beyond this product. Birdfoods like Nectarblend and Red Factor, spicy ingredients like GTP Spice and Spanish Pepper, products from the Robin family, and liquid formulations allow you to choose different components based on the result you want to achieve.

In this guide, we look at how to navigate Haith’s ingredients for self-made carpfishing, what the main differences are, and which type to evaluate based on its use.

Which Haith’s ingredient to choose? The short answer

The choice can be simplified by starting with the main function of the product.

If you want to...	Haith's products to consider
Include a birdfood in the mix	Nectarblend, Red Factor, CLO Original Sluis
Provide greater structure and grain size	Nectarblend, Red Factor, Prosecto
Obtain a spicy profile	GTP Spice, Spanish Pepper
Use a versatile mix also for groundbait and Method	Super Red
Work on aroma and color	Robin Gold, Robin Orange, Robin Green
Use a liquid component	Robin Red Liquid
Focus on hookbaits	Robin Red Hookbait
Approach the Robin Red family	Robin Red Liquid, Robin Red Hookbait and Robin variants

This distinction is especially important in self-made: two ingredients may look similar but have very different functions and characteristics.

What is birdfood in carpfishing?

In bait making, the term birdfood identifies a family of mixtures originally created for bird feed and subsequently becoming very popular in the production of carp bait.

In carpfishing, they are used within mixes because they can contribute to characteristics such as texture, grain size, binding capacity, and the dispersion of other components.

Haith’s is particularly linked to this tradition. The company itself lists Nectarblend, Red Factor, Egg Biscuit, and CLO among its classic birdfoods used by carp anglers and the bait making sector.

Let’s look at them in detail.

1. Nectarblend

Nectarblend is one of the most well-known Haith’s ingredients for bait making.

Its composition includes, among other elements, cereals, egg components, niger, and hemp. Haith’s describes it as an ingredient with binding properties, usable in boilies, groundbait, and Method Mix.

Another interesting feature is its relatively open and porous structure. This makes it useful when you want to avoid an excessively compact dough and favor the dispersion of the components present in the bait into the water.

When to choose it: Nectarblend is especially interesting if you are looking for a versatile birdfood to include in a self-made mix and want to work simultaneously on structure and binding capacity.

Red Factor

Red Factor also belongs to the Haith’s tradition of birdfoods used in bait making.

It contains a yellow biscuit-based component and also includes Robin Red. The formulation declared by Haith’s also includes elements such as wheat, yeast, toasted soy, niger, and flax. The manufacturer recommends its use within balanced bait mixes.

Compared to a very fine ingredient, its structure allows for the introduction of a more complex component into the mix.

When to choose it: when you want to add a birdfood with a structured composition and with Robin Red already inside the mixture.

CLO Original Sluis

CLO is another historic name in the world of birdfoods used for bait making.

Haith’s includes it, along with Nectarblend and Red Factor, among the classic feeds adopted over time by carp anglers as well.

It can therefore be considered especially when looking for a birdfood component to insert into the solid part of your mix.

Prosecto

Prosecto is, by contrast, an ingredient with a soft consistency and a dark brown color.

Haith’s proposes it as a supplementary component for fishing bait and highlights the presence of natural ingredients, including honey. It can be used within bait mixes or in pastes.

When to choose it: when you are looking for a complementary ingredient with a different profile compared to more classic birdfoods like Nectarblend and CLO.

Which ingredients to choose for a spicier profile?

In self-made carpfishing, one should not consider structure alone.

A second variable is the aromatic profile of the bait. Within the Haith’s range, there are ingredients with distinctly spicy characteristics.

GTP Spice

GTP Spice, an acronym for Grandad Ted's Poultry Spice, is a birdfood characterized by an aromatic component of spices and aniseed.

Haith’s suggests its use also together with pellets and boilie crumb or as a component for groundbait and Method Mix. The product also has a rather coarse grain size.

It is therefore interesting because it allows you to work simultaneously on structure and aromatic characterization.

When to choose it: if you want to introduce a birdfood component with a distinctly spicy profile into the mix, instead of using a more neutral ingredient.

Spanish Pepper

Spanish Pepper RRR is instead based on a mixture of sweet peppers.

Haith’s presents it specifically as an ingredient for the production of boilies and base mixes and as a possible alternative to Robin Red when you want to introduce such a component into the mix.

Compared to GTP Spice, therefore, the starting point is different: here the characterization revolves mainly around the pepper component.

When to choose it: when you want to give the base mix a spicy characterization linked to pepper ingredients without necessarily using a Robin product.

Super Red: a more transversal product

Super Red deserves a separate category because it is not simply a single ingredient.

The Haith’s formulation includes Robin Red, crushed hemp, crushed tiger nuts, Red Factor, and aniseed oil, among other components. It was developed as a product usable in various applications, including groundbait, pastes, and, after grinding, also as a base for boilies.

This makes it interesting especially for those looking for a more complex and versatile product than a single birdfood or a single spice.

Robin Red in self-made carpfishing

Talking about Haith’s, it is inevitable to arrive at the Robin Red family, probably the best-known line of the brand in the carp bait sector.

Robin Red has been used for decades in bait making and is today joined by numerous variants and applications. The official range includes ingredients for base mixes, hookbait mixes, liquid versions, and the Robin Gold, Orange, and Green variants.

Robin Gold, Robin Orange, and Robin Green: what are the differences?

One of the most useful questions when choosing an ingredient from the Robin family concerns the differences between the various variants.

Variant	Characteristics declared by Haith's	Distinctive appearance
Robin Gold	Softer aromatic profile, golden hue	Golden-yellow color and less intense profile
Robin Orange	Sweet, fruity, slightly spicy	Orange hue
Robin Green	Peppery and earthy notes, with spirulina	Green hue
Robin Red	Spicy profile of the original line	Characteristic red hue

The Gold, Orange, and Green variants were created specifically to transfer the concept of the Robin family to baits with profiles and colors different from the classic red.

Let’s look at them in detail.

Robin Gold

Robin Gold focuses on a naturally golden coloring and a softer aromatic profile compared to the more intense variants.

Haith’s lists it as a product that can be used in boilies, hookbaits, pastes, groundbait, and Method Mix.

It is therefore an option to evaluate when you want to work with the Robin family while maintaining a golden-yellow hue.

Robin Orange

Robin Orange combines sweet, fruity, and spicy notes.

It can be used with base mixes of different natures and its most evident characteristic is the ability to shift the bait toward an orange hue.

It is particularly interesting when looking for a characterization different from both the classic red and more natural profiles.

Robin Green

Robin Green presents a profile described by Haith’s as peppery and earthy, and the current formulation contains 20% spirulina.

The green color also makes it possible to obtain baits that are visually different from the classic red, yellow, and orange tones.

It is therefore a variant to consider when you want to combine the Robin profile with a more natural, green coloring.

Robin Red Liquid: when to choose a liquid ingredient?

A fundamental distinction concerns the form of the ingredient.

Robin Red Liquid does not perform exactly the same role as a dry component to be inserted into the base mix.

The liquid version can be used during the preparation of boilies or to treat baits already made. Haith’s describes applications on boilies, pellets, particles, groundbait, and spod mixes.

This means that it can be evaluated when the goal is not so much to modify the dry structure of the mix, but to add a liquid component to your baiting strategy.

Dry or liquid ingredient?

The difference can be summarized as follows:

Type	When it makes the most sense
Birdfood / dry ingredient	When you are building or modifying the mix
Spicy ingredient	When you want to further characterize the aromatic profile
Robin of the Gold/Orange/Green range	When you also want to work on aroma and color
Robin Red Liquid	When you want to use a liquid attractor or treat already prepared bait
Robin Red Hookbait	When you are working specifically on the hookbait

Robin Red Hookbait: what is it for?

The range available at Carpbait also includes Robin Red Haith’s Hookbait.

The term hookbait identifies the bait that is used directly on the hook. In fact, Haith’s includes a Robin Red HB Hookbait Mix within its Robin Collection, distinguishing it from base mix products and liquid versions. 

It is therefore a more specific product than a generic birdfood: choosing it makes sense especially when the goal is to work directly on the characteristics of the hookbait.

Comparison of Haith’s ingredients for self-made bait

To make choosing easier, here is an overview of the main products in the Carpbait collection.

Product	Type	Feature to consider	Main use
Nectarblend	Birdfood	Open texture and binding properties	Boilies, groundbait, Method Mix
Red Factor	Birdfood	Also contains Robin Red	Bait mix
CLO Original Sluis	Birdfood	Classic birdfood ingredient	Base mix
Prosecto	Complementary ingredient	Soft component with honey	Bait mix and pastes
GTP Spice	Spiced birdfood	Spices and anise, coarse grain size	Groundbait, Method Mix, bag mix
Spanish Pepper	Spiced ingredient	Blend of sweet peppers	Base mix and boilies
Super Red	Multi-purpose mix	Robin Red, seeds, tiger nuts and anise	Groundbait, pastes, mix
Robin Gold	Robin range	Soft profile and golden color	Base mix and bait
Robin Orange	Robin range	Sweet, fruity and spiced	Base mix and bait
Robin Green	Robin range	Peppery, earthy and with spirulina	Base mix and bait
Robin Red Liquid	Liquid	Liquid application	Boilies, pellet, particles, groundbait
Robin Red Hookbait	Hookbait mix	Specific for hookbaits	Hookbait

 

How to choose ingredients for self-made carp fishing

Rather than looking for “the best ingredient,” in self-made bait it is better to start with four questions.

1. What texture do I want to achieve?
   If the goal mainly concerns the texture, grain size, and composition of the mix, birdfood ingredients like Nectarblend, Red Factor, or CLO are a more consistent starting point.
2. Do I want to further characterize the aroma and profile of the bait?
   GTP Spice, Spanish Pepper, and the various Robin variants allow you to work more on characterizing the bait.
3. Is color an important variable?
   The Robin family allows you to orient yourself toward different shades: Gold, Orange, Green, or the classic Red family.
4. Am I building the mix or do I want to work on a ready-made bait?
   In the first case, dry ingredients make more sense. In the second, a liquid solution like Robin Red Liquid might be more suitable.

Starting from the function avoids choosing a product only because it is famous and allows you to incorporate it in a more reasoned way into your self-made carp fishing approach.

Birdfood, Robin, or spices: which one to choose?

They are not necessarily alternatives.

A birdfood can be chosen primarily to act on the texture of the mix; a spiced ingredient can contribute to its characterization; a product from the Robin family can add a specific aromatic and chromatic profile.

In many cases, therefore, the correct choice is not between birdfood or Robin, but concerns the role that each ingredient must have in the bait.

The simplest rule is this:

First identify the function missing from your mix, then choose the ingredient. Not the other way around.

Frequently asked questions about Haith’s ingredients