LET IT ROLL
This is no game — “ fuzzy dice ” have become one of the hottest new bass baits
By Tyler Brinks
O
ne of the latest trends in American bass fishing ( courtesy of Japan ) is the increasing popularity of small , square or spherical soft plastics with protruding skirt material — or , in tackle nerd vernacular , “ dice-style ” or “ fuzzy dice ” baits .
American anglers first caught wind of these unique soft plastics from Japanese pros such as Taku Ito and Kyoya Fujita , both of whom have scored top finishes on the Bassmaster Elite Series with this bait style . Initially , it was easy to write them off as a gimmick ( and many still do ). But thanks to the “ you can ’ t keep it secret for long ” nature of social media and the internet , quite a few American pros have learned that these crazy-looking baits can be extremely effective in the right situations .
This past season on the Bass Pro Tour , Michael Neal , Alton Jones Jr . and Nick Hatfield secured top finishes fishing versions of these baits — including Neal ’ s season-ending win at the St . Lawrence River using a homemade dice contraption that he stitched together at the kitchen table of his Airbnb . Jones and Hatfield closely follow fishing trends from Japan and have been ahead of the curve in using knowledge of new Japanese baits to their advantage . Both were willing to share what they ’ ve learned from fishing dice / fuzzy dice baits , and both believe that the category is the next big thing in bass fishing .
the dice-bait players
The “ dice bait ” or “ fuzzy dice ” category got its name thanks to the most well-known bait in the family , the OSP Saikoro Dice Rubber — a small cube with imprinted numbers like an actual die . However , there are other baits that fit into the category , too , such as the Geecrack Imo Kemushi and Imo Kemushi Cue Bomb as well as the Hide Up Coike Full Cast .
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Alton Jones Jr . shows off the Geecrack Imo Kemushi Cue Bomb .
While each of the baits is similar , they offer different sizes , shapes and soft-plastic materials . The Saikoro Dice Rubber is a 1 / 2-inch cube with multiple strands of silicon skirt through the bait , and it comes in both salted and unsalted versions for different fall rates . The Geecrack Imo Kemushi is available in several sizes and options , from the cylindrical Slim Worm or Stick Worm to the Cue Bomb , a 1 or 1.2-inch sphere .
The commonality among those baits is each has multiple skirt strands protruding from the soft plastic . The Hide Up Coike Full Cast , meanwhile , is similar but larger ( weighing approximately 1 / 2 ounce ) and with spikes emerging from its round body that are molded as part of the lure .
unique drawing power
Fuzzy dice baits look quite different than traditional soft plastics — and not much like anything in nature , for that matter . But both Hatfield and Jones believe their unique appearance combined with their slow fall is what makes them so effective .
MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024
PHOTO BY JOEL SHANGLE