Bass will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouth, and it's been proven time and again that big smallmouth love small bites. This is where dice baits come in. If you're not up on the trend, dice baits are small chunks of soft plastic (usually in the shape of a cube) with tendrils of skirting material poking out. The small profile and natural appearance aren't aggressive, but if you put one in front of a fish, it'll slurp it up. I used the after-dinner mint analogy in another column, and the same applies here. You don't need to impart much action, just get it in front of a fish and let it do the rest. Their effectiveness, especially on pressured fish, have been impressive.
When I first started seeing dice-style baits online — originally shaped like actual dice — from Japanese company OSP, I couldn’t bring myself to spend $20 US on a pack of four. Eventually, I gave in and tried one, rigged on a drop-shot and immediately caught the first smallmouth I put it in front of. The problem? When I landed the fish, the bait was gone. Torn off in the battle. That was my cue to start making my own.
Heading into the final event of the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series season on the St. Lawrence River, I needed a strong finish to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. It had been an up-and-down year, and it all came down to the ninth and final event.
The St. Lawrence is one of the top smallmouth destinations in North America, but these fish receive significant pressure and have seen just about every bait in the book. The giant smallmouth here can be notoriously tricky to catch.
The success of Japanese anglers on tour over the past few years has been remarkable, especially in northern waters. While these anglers tend to be secretive, a few slip-ups on live cameras have revealed the dice-style bait trend that has exploded recently.
I finished 12th on that tourney and qualified for my sixth Bassmaster Classic. Over three days, I weighed in 12 of my 15 fish on a homemade dice-style bait rigged on a drop-shot. After cycling through the usual baits during practice, I realized I could catch nearly every fish I marked on my electronics with these little finesse bugs — they turned my season into a success.
Dice-style baits are relatively easy to make.
Here’s all you need:
I use chewed-up baits, such as Senkos or Ned-style plastics. Start by cutting these into ¾-inch chunks. Next, insert the silicone skirt strands through the plastic. I typically run a couple of strands through each squared-off end and four strands evenly spaced around the body.
To do this, I push the threading tool through the plastic, and pull it back through the same hole, leaving four equal lengths on each side.
A little trimming is sometimes needed to even everything out.
Use dice-style baits on spinning gear with light line. I prefer an eight-pound braided main line paired with a six-pound fluorocarbon leader. Although dice-style baits are most commonly fished on a drop-shot, many anglers also insert a nail weight and fish them as a Neko (wacky) rig in shallower water. I’ve also experimented with inserting strands into Ned-style plastics and fishing them on a jighead, which has proven effective.
I’m often asked: What do the fish think it is? I have no idea, but they work.
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Originally published in the Ontario Out of Doors Fishing Annual 2026
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