GEECRACK IMO KEMUSHI CUE BOMB
HIDE UP COIKE FULL CAST
GEECRACK IMO KEMUSHI STICK WORM OSP SAIKORO DICE RUBBER
Jones first received some early fuzzy-dice intel in 2022 from his connection to the Japanese lure company Geecrack . “ My relationship with them opened my eyes to what ’ s going on ( in Japan ), and the Imo Kemushi Stick Worm was the first bait I was introduced to ,” Jones said . “ I used that bait at our last two Bass Pro Tour tournaments in 2022 . I caught some big fish with it at both and immediately became a fan because the bait has incredible drawing power . That offseason , I ordered a bunch of different baits and started exploring them more .”
A student of the game and an avid follower of tackle trends , Hatfield pays close attention to new techniques coming from Japan , which first piqued his interest in these baits . “ I try to stay in the loop with JDM tackle and the techniques they use and love to watch the Japanese anglers because they do things a lot different than we do ,” Hatfield said . “ I ’ ve spent time in the boat with some anglers from Japan , and there ’ s so much to learn . That ’ s what got me interested in fishing these baits . I got some OSP Saikoro Dice Rubber and Geecrack Imo Kemushi and started tinkering with all of the different baits early this year and have caught a lot of fish with them since then .”
Hatfield is still trying to understand why these baits work but believes it ’ s just something new the bass have yet to see .
“ I think the biggest thing is that they ’ re new and that much different ,” he confirmed . “ I don ’ t know if the fish think it ’ s a crawfish , a goby or a little bug , but it ’ s so much different than the plain old worms the fish are used to seeing . It doesn ’ t have a lot of action underwater , but I saw this year for bed fish that you would throw a bunch of different baits and then throw one of these in there and get bit on the first cast .”
Nick Hatfield has found success rigging dice-style baits weightless , on drop-shots and on Ned heads .
“ i fish it either weightless or on a no . 1 hayabusa wacky rig hook with no more than a 1 / 32-ounce nail weight .”
how to fish them
These unusual soft plastics can be rigged several ways , and both Jones and Hatfield have experimented with them on three popular finesse rigs : a drop-shot , a Ned rig and a wacky-rig hook .
PHOTO BY TYLER BRINKS
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 55