A NEW Robin Red - Part one

There's a NEW Robin Red® (UK/EU) from Haith's which contains a natural colourant rather than a non-feed-permitted synthetic dye. It creates a less vivid but more natural red colour in finished baits which contain it when compared to the original Robin Red® which remains available for hook baits and 'lures.'

Haith's have introduced the NEW Robin Red (UK/EU) for three main reasons to:

Comply with UK/EU animal feed regulations
Create higher levels of natural sensory attraction
Promote higher levels of fish welfare

Haith's have followed suit with their entire range and all ingredients intended for baits which may be eaten/digested by fish will contain natural colouring foods rather than synthetic dyes. I'm pleased to report that I found the new Robin Red (UK/EU) to be equally as good as the original - minus the intense blood-red colour, which is something the bait industry and anglers will need to adjust too as I understand almost all synthetic dyes do not appear on the UK/EU register.

In addition to this, during tests undertaken in association with Haith's, industry experts, CC Moore & Co Ltd found Robin Red® (UK/EU) to be at least as effective as an ingredient when compared to original Robin Red®. CC Moore have switched their production to include the new Robin Red (UK/EU), and their support has been instrumental in maintaining the effectiveness of Robin Red.

Haith's New Robin Red® (UK/EU) properties:

Contains feed-permitted colourant, specifically for edible bait use
A consistent, vivid beetroot-red, oily spicy meal
Smooth, sweet, red pepper aroma & taste
Highly effective bird food type bait ingredient
Gives texture to baits, increases leakage potential
Adds valuable vits & mins. Oil content; 20%
Dyes baits red/brown when used at higher levels
Suitable for year-round use in any base mix
Use up to 50% in your mix, use lower levels in winter

Over the course of the last two years, we have tested hundreds of possible alternatives with Robin Red being of prime importance, given its role as our landmark ingredient. Now, after stringent testing and development, we are proud to introduce our brand-new ROBIN RED® (UK/EU).

Use the new Robin Red (UK/EU) in the same way you would the original product (which is still available online), namely at a level of 5-10% with room for upward inclusion rate in high-attract alternative hook baits. My tests have shown that there is no adverse effect to the change. If anything, it might be even better than the original - time will tell.


In this blog, I am going to look at the new Robin Red® (UK/EU), and as you can see in this photo it looks pretty much like the old version, and it smells equally divine!

I think it's commendable that Haith's have reengineered Robin Red. We all need to think about environmental issues, and compliance with regulations is what I'd expect from a company who cares about nature.

Elsewhere in these blogs, there is an article on using Robin Red to jazz up an already well-established base mix. In that blog, I use Trigga Ice from Nutrabaits so, in the interests of balance, I shall do the same this time using the new natural Robin Red® (UK/EU).

First, I weigh out 450g of the Trigga Ice base mix

I now add 50g of the new Robin Red (UK/EU). I blend these together in a bucket. Just pop both powders into a clean, dry bucket and shake (the bucket; not yourself!)

I am also going to add some powdered and liquid attraction to the bait as well as adding glycerin (15ml) as part of the preserving process. The other attractors are citric acid (1gram) John Baker's Plum flavour (1 ml), and Caproic Acid (12 drops).

I add the powdered ingredients to the base mix. Do not go mad with the citric acid. It is included because it causes carp to investigate the food source so the message it sends should be subtle rather than in your face! One gram per 500g is ample.

I also am a big fan of Green Lipped Mussel Concentrate from Feed Stimulants. I don't think you can overdo the inclusion rate of this wonderfully nutritious attractor, 20g is expensive but very effective.

I break five eggs into a bowl.

Now add the Caproic Acid. Twelve drops are about half a millilitre, which is ample. You will note a reaction in the eggs as soon as each drop of the carboxylic acid hits the surface. This is fine and nothing to worry about.

I am fairly new to the John Baker range of flavours and attractors, though God knows why! His Plum flavour smells gorgeous, but it is very strong, and John himself suggests a maximum of just 1ml to a 500g mix.

They are some of the best flavours available, and certainly, his Plum flavour has been very kind to me when used in Matt's pop-ups. Matt's company, UB Baits, produces the finest hand-rolled alternative hook baits going. He only uses the best flavours and ingredients, and his use of JB's Plum makes a fantastic bait even greater!

Once the liquids have been added to the eggs beat them in using a hand whisk. You can now start adding the base mix a bit at a time.

When it starts to become hard work - when most of the powder and eggs have been blended - now is the time to dig in and get your hands mucky.

The final blending stage is made a lot easier if you add a bit of food oil to the mix. Pour some over your hands too. This prevents the paste from sticking to them. Hemp Oil (you can buy it at Tesco) is brilliant! It has a strong nutty taste and is full of essential fatty acids.

Finish the ball of paste using your well-oiled hands.

Allow the paste to rest for half an hour and then roll it out into one big sausage.

Cut the sausage into roughly equal portions, then roll these out into long single, thinner sausages.

In a large, shallow pan boil a couple of litres of water. Add the sausages and boil vigorously for two and a half minutes. (Other base mixes may require a shorter or longer boil time).

Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the cooker. If the sausages are floating then they are done.

Drain off the water and turn out the cooked sausages onto a clean dry towel.

After drying for 24 hours cut the sausages into bait-sized chunks.

The baits should be tough on the outside but still soft and paste-like in the middle. The bait can now be frozen for future use or the shelf life can be improved by a further coating of glycerin. During field trials I made countless batches of test baits and to see if they worked, I offered them to the carp in a local lake, one where I could observe the lake bed and see if they were being eaten or not. I am pleased to tell you that the carp ate every bait!

I even found time to do a bit of fishing too…

Part 2 coming soon!

P.S. Do you know how loads of us oldies are always banging on about how the "old" Robin Red of the 60s, 70s, and 80s always used to stain cookware and hands? They keep harping on about how much the product has changed and how much they miss the old Robin Red, right?

Well chaps, lament no more…The stain is back!

Written by Ken Townley