Throughout the years, there have been many so-called "magical" ingredients for boilies. In the mid-'90s, I couldn’t roll a single boilie without adding a teaspoon of Rod Hutchinson’s appetite stimulator. Then came liver powder, shrimp meal, betaine, various oils, and so on. Is there such a thing as a magic ingredient that will make one bait superior to all others? The short answer is a resounding NO! But there are good and bad boilies. Two things are essential to making a good boilie: 1 It can’t be harmful to the carp. 2 It must be highly attractive to carp. I have been carp fishing since 1989, and in the early days, I rolled my own boilies. Back then, it was pretty much the only way to get quality bait. Then came work, a career, and ready-made boilies of decent quality. So why spend the limited time I had left rolling my own? Fast forward to 2020—after 18 years working in protein research, I found myself thinking more and more about making my own boilies again. KEY QUESTION: Can we make a boilie with a moderate amount of all known attractors that increase a carp’s food intake? In other words, can we create a scientifically based recipe with a "balanced moderate average of everything good"? It’s a crazy thought. But with many years of research experience, I started reviewing a pile of studies on specific substances and additives investigated in this field. Sorting through the literature was a challenge—some studies were solid, some were so-so, and some were just plain bollocks. Then, of course, there’s a good amount of data based on the experiences of great carp anglers over time. For example, there is no scientific evidence that diacetyl, the compound found in Scopex, increases a fish's food intake. Yet, it has been used in bait for decades. It works, and I also like the smell. That’s why Scopex is included in Butterfish. Other substances, like betaine, are well-documented, with a solid body of research supporting their effects on fish weight and appetite. That’s why betaine is included in Butterfish boilies and boosters as well. After a few months of reviewing literature, I compiled a list of 11 attractors, four different types of fish and shellfish meal, a flavoring (Scopex), and hemp seeds (a must-have). In Butterfish, these are present in reasonable concentrations, leaning on the data presented in research. One interesting note is how several of these ingredients add umami to the mix (I’ve tasted each and every one before adding them). Then came the real challenge: creating a base mix that could carry all of these ingredients. Since most of my carp fishing consists of single overnighters with only a few longer sessions, a priority was ensuring the mix allowed for leakage without dissolving too quickly. What’s the point of a bait that still holds all its flavor and soluble attractors inside after 36 hours? I always change my hookbaits after 12–16 hours anyway. This turned out to be a challenge, but an old-school base with semolina and soy did the trick, resulting in a boilie that stays firm long enough—so even the bag boilies can be used as hookbaits, despite leaking attractors like crazy. These have proven to work brilliantly as winter baits.