If you’ve been around the carp scene for a while you’ll already know RG Baits has a bit of a cult following. Proper bait, proper results. No fancy marketing gimmicks, just proven food sources that carp genuinely want to eat. Two of the standouts in their range are Arctic Crab and Red Sea Squid. Both have built reputations as serious carp catchers on day tickets, syndicates, and big European waters. What follows is a breakdown of each range, how to use them, how they stack up against the competition, and why so many lads are swearing by them.
Arctic Crab – Profile
This one’s a straight-up fishmeal powerhouse. The Arctic Crab has that unmistakable strong fishy kick, layered with natural marine extracts that scream food to a carp. Think deep, salty, pungent crab notes, not the synthetic crab you sometimes get from cheaper baits. It’s balanced with lower-level attractors so it’s not overpowering, but still cuts through silt, weed and murky conditions.
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Base mix: high-quality LT fishmeals, soluble proteins, marine extracts.
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Flavour profile: salty crab, rich and pungent.
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Visuals: darker, natural tones – nothing too bright or obvious.
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Matching range: boilies, wafters, pop-ups, hard hookbaits, pellets, liquid food, stick mix, PVA-friendly products.
Carp see this as a genuine food bait, not just a one-hit wonder. That’s why it works so well on longer campaigns. Drop it in consistently and the fish treat it like a natural food source.
Red Sea Squid – Profile
If Arctic Crab is the salty, savoury bruiser, Red Sea Squid is the smoother, richer, slightly sweeter option. Don’t be fooled though – it’s still a strong fishmeal bait. The squid base gives it depth, while the Red Sea twist adds a unique profile you don’t really get elsewhere. It’s not a blatant fruity bait, but there’s a subtle sweetness underneath that rounds it out.
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Base mix: squid meal, fishmeals, soluble proteins, milk powders.
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Flavour profile: squid with a sweet edge, savoury but smoother than crab.
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Visuals: deep red boilies and hookbaits – stand out without being garish.
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Matching range: full line of boilies, wafters, pop-ups, pellets, glugs, stick mixes, liquids.
This bait has done damage on all kinds of waters – from pressured day tickets to massive continental reservoirs. The red colour adds confidence in clear water and over gravel spots.
Arctic Crab vs Red Sea Squid
It’s worth putting these two head-to-head because a lot of anglers wonder which to go for.
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Smell & Taste: Crab is sharper, saltier, proper whack-in-the-face fishmeal. Squid is smoother, rich, with a hint of sweetness.
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Visual Appeal: Crab baits are more natural in tone, blend in with lakebeds. Squid baits are red, which can give you that little edge in clear water.
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Best Situations: Crab is great in summer, weedy lakes, or when you want a strong smell cutting through. Squid is versatile all year but comes into its own in spring and autumn when carp are looking for protein but not overpowered smells.
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Fish Response: Some anglers find crab sorts out the bigger fish. Squid tends to get you more bites quicker.
How They Stack Up Against Competitors
You can’t talk crab and squid baits without comparing to a few well-known names.
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CC Moore Pacific Tuna vs Arctic Crab: Pacific Tuna is a classic, but it’s smoother and less aggressive. Arctic Crab is more salty, more marine. Tuna works well on long campaigns, but Crab often gets faster bites in busy waters.
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Sticky Krill vs Red Sea Squid: Krill has that sweet, nutty undertone that carp love, but Red Sea Squid is richer and less played-out. Everyone’s on Krill these days, so Squid can give you that little edge.
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Mainline Cell/Essential Cell vs Arctic Crab: Cell is creamy and versatile, but it’s a million miles from Crab. If you’re on a water where everyone’s putting in Cell, dropping Arctic Crab in makes you stand out with a proper food signal.
RG Baits is smaller compared to these giants, but that’s part of the appeal. Less hype, less bandwagon. Just baits built to work.
Usage – Boilies
The boilies are the backbone. Available in shelf-life or freezer, both are packed with attractors. A lot of anglers like to fish them whole, but they also crush down brilliantly for stick mixes and PVA bags.
Tips:
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Crab: Fish over a spread in summer. Pre-bait with them on campaigns.
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Squid: Works great as a tighter patch in the cooler months, or crumbed in bags for an instant hit
Usage – Hookbaits
Both ranges have wafters, pop-ups, and hardened hookers.
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Crab Wafters: Spot on for a subtle balanced presentation. Over gravel or in silt, they sit just right.
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Squid Pop-Ups: Deep red, stand out without screaming hi-viz. Deadly on a Ronnie rig or snowman.
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Hardened Hookbaits: Worth their weight if crayfish are a problem or nuisance fish are about.
Usage – Liquids & Additives
The liquids are PVA-friendly and packed with soluble attractors. Great for soaking pellets, glazing boilies, or adding to stick mixes. The stick mixes themselves are pungent and active in the water, creating a nice food signal around the hookbait.
Crab Liquid: Proper salty, works best soaked into freebies.
Squid Liquid: Rich and sweet, deadly as a glug for hookbaits.
Usage – Pellets & Bag Mixes
Both ranges have pellets and PVA-friendly options. The pellets are coated with the same attractors as the boilies, breaking down fairly quickly to get a feeding response. Perfect for method feeders, PVA bags, or just bulking out a spod mix.
Top Tip: Mix the two ranges together. Crab and Squid actually complement each other well. One’s salty and sharp, the other smooth and rich. Gives you a layered feeding signal carp don’t get bored of.
Angler Feedback
This isn’t marketing fluff – this is what you actually hear bankside:
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“Arctic Crab is savage – stinks to high heaven but the carp love it. I’ve had some of my biggest off it.”
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“Squid’s been my confidence bait all year. Red colour stands out just enough, doesn’t spook them.”
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“Other lads on Cell blanked, I nicked two fish on the Crab.”
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“Squid wafters over a light scattering – instant results.”
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“The liquids are next level. Glugged my baits, whole swim stank of squid. Took less than an hour for the rods to go.
Seasonal Use
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Winter: Squid is smoother and less overpowering. Go easy on the freebies, small PVA bags with a wafter or pop-up.
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Spring: Both come into play. Carp waking up, so use crumbed boilies, pellets, and a few freebies. Squid has a slight edge early spring.
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Summer: Crab dominates – the strong smell cuts through weed and the carp are on protein. Spread baiting works well.
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Autumn: Squid again becomes a go-to as fish look for rich but digestible baits. Great time to start building a campaign with it.
Why Choose RG Baits?
Loads of companies churn out baits that look the part but don’t back it up. RG keeps it simple: proper ingredients, proven recipes, and a full range that all ties together. They’re smaller than some brands, which means you’re not fishing the same bait as everyone else on your lake. That alone is a big edge.
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Full range to cover all situations.
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Built from quality ingredients, not cheap fillers.
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Results across day tickets, syndicates, and big waters.
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Both ranges have their own identity – Crab salty and raw, Squid smooth and red.
Final Word
If you want a salty, strong, marine bait that really makes a statement, go Arctic Crab. If you want a smoother, versatile, red-coloured bait that works across the board, go Red Sea Squid. Or better still – run them both. Alternate sessions, mix them in a spod mix, or fish one rod on Crab and one on Squid. You’ll quickly see which the carp prefer on your water.
Either way, you’re fishing with proper bait. The kind that gets talked about in the car park after a session.
