Every year there’s a theme of some kind at ICAST. It’s unofficial of course. One year, it might be that numerous companies offer brand new deck or fishing boots. All the electronics companies introduced brand new trolling motors one year. Or it could even be something like soft plastic lure makers introducing their own version of the feisty shrimp.
That’s what happened this year with soft plastic lure makers — but not with crustaceans. Instead, it’s fuzzy dice lures that have taken freshwater fishing my storm. Those lures that look like a mutant spider or maybe an amoeba on steroids. No one angler will give an exact answer of what fuzz baits imitate, but most bass fishermen will tell you they catch fish. Also versatile in how they’re rigged, it’s no wonder so many lure makers have crafted their own versions. Below, we highlight the fuzzy baits that we saw, listed in alphabetical order. There’s likely even more that we missed.
Big Bite Baits Scentsation Fuzzy Stick
The Big Bite Baits Scentsation Fuzzy Stick is a wild looking soft plastic bait, meant to entice bass that have seen just about everything else. Its standout feature is the fuzzy appendages that create a subtle quivering action in the water. This, combined with Big Bite’s patented Scentsation formula that attracts fish and encourages longer bites, makes it incredibly effective. While particularly known for its success on a drop shot rig, the Fuzzy Stick is potent with Ned, wacky, Texas, or Neko rigs. Try this as your next finesse bait for finicky bass. www.bigbitebaits.com
Coike Fullcast
We saw this bait at the SPRO booth at ICAST. And it stuck with us. The Coike Fullcast looks like something out of an alien movie. Or maybe just a mutant sea urchin. But it offers versatile rigging options, most commonly with a dropshot or octopus hook without a weedguard. Its buoyancy allows for topwater use without a sinker, or it can be suspended. This adaptable lure, measuring 23mm in diameter and weighing approximately 1/2 ounce, can also be used with drop shots and jig heads, providing anglers with a couple of possibilities. Hint, let it roll alone the bottom of a river for smallmouths. The bait is also available in a 17 mm option. www.spro.com
Coike Shrimp Medium
Also at the SPRO booth, the Coike Shrimp had the look of a hellgrammite without the pinchers. Just an absolutely cool looking creature. If you didn’t know, the Coike Shrimp is the fourth addition to its series. But now it’s available in small, medium and magnum sizes. This lure maintains the signature hair that effectively attracts fish, but it also boasts a natural action that requires no extra effort from the angler. Designed to entice even the most pressured bass, Recommended for use weight less, Texas rigs, and nail rigs. www.spro.com
Strike King Sexy Bug
The Strike King Sexy Bug looks like an oversized segmented carpenter ant. The bug lure is designed to attract fish even in challenging conditions. Its ribbed and cuffed body creates enticing movement and a unique falling action in the water. This creature-style bait is highly realistic and comes in a wide range of colors to suit different fishing conditions. It’s also adaptable to various freshwater rigging methods, including weightless, neko, and drop-shotting. www.strikeking.com
Strike King Tumbleweed
Mix up your fishing tactics with the new Strike King Tumbleweed. This fun lure features a unique 12-sided dice design and special skirt material, working together to create an irresistible presentation for bass. Its natural movement draws in hesitant fish, according to Strike King. Vivid colors and air-trapped silicone strands help generate vibrations and strikes. The Tumbleweed is incredibly versatile — you can rig it multiple ways, but dropshotting or fishing it weightless are recommended. The Tumbleweed is available in both a salted sinking formula and a floating formula. www.strikeking.com
Yamamoto Fuzzy Nuki
New to the scene: The innovative Yamatanuki, a heavier soft bait that’s shaped like a tiny little wine bottle, has been reimagined as part of the fuzzy bait collection. This updated version, now called the Fuzzy Nuki, incorporates skirt material, giving it a unique new profile and action that’s designed to attract both anglers and fish alike. A slit in the bait allows the bait to easily rig weedless. Anglers can choose from eight Yamamoto colors and two sizes, 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches, with pack sizes of five and four lures, respectively. www.yamamotobaits.com
Yamamoto Fuzzy Nut
At just 1.5 inches, the Yamamoto Fuzzy Nut is a finesse bait with big-fish potential. Don’t let its odd appearance fool you—once it hits the water, it does its dance. The finely threaded skirt material produces an ultra-subtle secondary action, ideal for coaxing pressured bass into biting. Its compact profile perfectly hides a nail weight, keeping your presentation streamlined without sacrificing fall rate. Thanks to Yamamoto’s proven heavy salt formula, it gets down with a natural glide. Whether you’re dragging it on a Ned head, dead-sticking, or pairing it with a nail weight for a finesse rig, the Fuzzy Nut works. Available in 10 colors. www.yamamotobaits.com
Yamamoto Fuzzy Senko
Meet the Yamamoto Fuzzy Senko, the latest evolution of the iconic stick bait. You can’t say this thing doesn’t look like a centipede. While the original Senko remains an icon, the Fuzzy Senko incorporates a fine, threaded skirt material. This innovative feature gives the bait a distinctive “fuzzy” profile and generates a subtle, secondary action that’s noticeable to fish. You can find the Fuzzy Senko in both 4-inch (5 per pack) and 5-inch (4 per pack) lengths, offered in 8 colors for now. www.yamamotobaits.com
Yamamoto Uni
The Yamamoto Uni is an innovative urchin-style fishing lure specifically designed for freshwater, excelling with smallmouth and spotted bass. Its distinctive design incorporates bulbed appendages that actively catch water, creating a realistic shimmying action with each rod twitch. This unique movement, coupled withYamamoto’s custom formula leads to optimal buoyancy and action. www.yamamotobaits.com
Z-Man Fuzzy BugZ
The Z-Man Fuzzy BugZ was built for finesse presentations, including Ned rigs, dropshots, and weighted wacky rigs. What could possibly be described as looking like a soft peanut with thick whiskers everywhere, the baitfish-mimicking quiver of the bait — via its proprietary silicone appendages — flat out catches fish. Its 1.75-inch, segmented invertebrate profile, engineered from 10X Tough ElaZtech, ensures exceptional resilience against aggressive strikes and provides buoyancy for horizontal presentation. Designed to accurately replicate zooplankton, larval insects, and small crustaceans, rig it with Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jigheads and Rattle-Snaker® Tungsten SpikeZ. www.zmanfishing.com
Z-Man Fuzzy Nuggetz
The Z-Man Fuzzy NuggetZ consistently triggers bites from even the most gun-shy bass. It imitates pelagic prey like zooplankton, insect larvae, and microcrustaceans, staying active and animated even when deadsticked on a dropshot rig. Its 12-sided dodecahedron shape provides endless hooking options. Made from 10X Tough ElaZtech, this bait dramatically outlasts most baits that crumble after catching a single fish. Hand-threaded premium silicone skirt fibers remain intact, offering continuous tentacle action. Priced at $9.99 for a 4-pack, Fuzzy NuggetZ offers a great value for dice baits. Available in six pro patterns. www.zmanfishing.com
Z-Man Fuzzy TRD
The Z-Man Fuzzy TRD elevates the classic Finesse TRD by adding quivering silicone appendages, creating new bait movements that bass have not seen. The hand-threaded silicone skirt strands provide pulsing action, mimicking watery invertebrates, effective for Ned, Neko, dropshot, or weighted wacky rigging. Made from durable 10X Tough ElaZtech, the 2.75-inch body boasts the TRD’s signature Z-Man buoyancy. Its pre-marked middle allows you to cut it into two finesse-sized baits, essentially doubling its value. The Fuzzy TRD is compatible with Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jigheads and Rattle-Snaker Tungsten SpikeZ. Available in eight pro-approved patterns. www.zmanfishing.com
