Fuzzy Cheat Code: Why This Bass Bait Could Be A Winner In 2026
It’s not secret that the fuzzy dice/fuzzy worm style of baits made a massive splash at ICAST 2025. A technique that has been utilized in the Japanese market for a while now, major manufacturers have flooded the market with these lures for the 2026 season, making them a “must-have” for recreational anglers and tournament pros. And I suspect we might actually see a tournament won on a fuzzy bait this season, most likely in the Bassmaster Elite Series, where you have a 5-fish limit and can fish a little slower, but regardless, I think it’ll be a player.
And the reason why… they just WORK.
I hopped on the fuzzy bait train towards the end of last season, my favorite being the Geecrack Imo Kemushi, and they absolutely CRUSHED for me. I was hammering big smallmouth last fall, big largemouth were chomping on them when other techniques weren’t working,. When I wasn’t getting a lot of bites and the shallow flipping action wasn’t there, these really got the job done for me. They worked so well that when I couldn’t find them for sale anymore (they were sold out everywhere), I started buying some heavy-style stick baits and skirt material, and made my own… that’s how good the bite was.
And with the way brands were rushing to get a product on the market, I think they’ll be a major player this year. Pros like Matt Becker and Matt Stefan have made videos about expecting to see tournaments won on them this year, YouTubers and fishing influencers are talking about it, get your hands on some this year… you won’t regret it. They can be utilized on drop shots, ned rigs, or commonly weighted like a Neko rig, but for the larger, heavy stick baits, just throwing it weightless on a EWG will do the trick, and that’s how I’ve had the best results with it.
Here’s a few I recommend, and full transparency, I haven’t fished the Z-Man Fuzzy TRD yet, but I like the idea of their ElaZtech material on it… these baits aren’t cheap, sell out fast, and will get chewed up pretty quickly when the bite is good. Assuming the action is good, it could save you some serious cash.
Fuzzy Stick Baits
Geecrack Imo Kemushi Stick Worm: $11.99
Colors: Crazy Bug, Green Flake Bug, Zari Bug
Colors: Green Pumpkin Chartreuse, Black Blue, Baby Bass
Colors: Green Pumpkin Goby, The Deal, Yoga Pants
Fuzzy Dice Baits
RAID Japan 1Way Hybrid Dice – $7.69
Colors: Green Pumpkinseed, Aomiso, Smoke Shrimp
Geecrack Finesse Cue Bomb: $11.99
Colors: Black, Green Smoke
Colors: Grn Pumpkin Green & Purple, Black Blue Flk
OSP Saikoro Dice Rubber: $19.99
Colors: Fred’s Candy, Green Pumpkin Pepper, Suji Ebi
*This post contains links through the Tackle Warehouse Affiliate Program. While all products are independently selected by our expert Riff Outdoors team, if you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
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