A “Berry Good” Solution for Catching Pacu on Conventional Tackle
At Don Joaquin River Lodge—and across Argentina’s top pacu fisheries—the traditional way to tempt these powerful, vegetarian bruisers is with a fly rod and patterns that imitate berries, nuts, and algae. But what if you can’t, or don’t want to, fish with fly gear? The guides at Don Joaquin are world-class casting instructors, but if you’re committed to spinning or baitcasting tackle, you don’t have to miss out on tangling with your first pacu.
That’s where a recent bass fishing trend comes into play. Ever since Japanese pros introduced “dice baits” to the Bassmaster Elite Series, the category has exploded. Many anglers wondered what, exactly, they were imitating—but in South America the answer is obvious: they look like berries.
While you won’t be rigging them on light finesse setups or drop shots like you might for largemouth or smallmouth bass, dice baits could be a deadly crossover option for pacu. Below, we’ll share which models to pack, how to rig them, and why they might give you the edge on your Argentina adventure.
Top Dice Baits to Pack for Your Argentina Pacu Trip
The original dice baits that crossed over from Japan—thanks to JDM innovators like OSP—were true to their names: six flat sides with just a few strands of rubber for action. Since then, the dice bait craze has exploded, with new shapes ranging from round “berries” to ten-sided cubes, and even hybrids that blend the look of a Senko or Ned worm.
We haven’t had the chance to fish them south of the equator yet, but for our upcoming trip to Don Joaquin River Lodge, these are the dice baits we’re packing to target pacu on conventional tackle:
Most Durable: Z-Man Fuzzy Nuggetz
Quantity: 4
Key Feature: Made of 10X tough Elaztech, so you wont have to bring nearly as many. Perfect if you don’t want to dedicate half of your suitcase to soft plastics.
Jumbo Berry: OSP Magnum 14mm Saikoro Dice Rubber Non-Salt
Quantity: 3
Key Feature: A little bigger than “standard. Lack of salt makes it fall more slowly, which can be an advantage in slack water and a disadvantage in heavy current.
Best Bargain: Yamamoto Fuzzy Nut
Quantity: 6
Key Feature: Infused with Yamamoto’s legendary salt formula, the same that made the Senko a worldwide sensation. A solid value if you want plenty of casts for your buck.
Looks Most Like Algae: Hideup Coike Shrimp Magnum Creature Bait
Quantity: 3
Key Feature: Unique two-tone colors, especially “Grasshopper,” resemble clumps of algae drifting in the current—a natural pacu trigger.
Sorting Out Dice Bait Colors for Pacu in Argentina
This will be our first fishing trip to Argentina, and we may even end up being the first anglers to throw dice baits at pacu. That means our color choices involve a fair bit of guesswork. Since airline luggage limits won’t let us bring every pack in the tackle shop, we’re narrowing things down to a few key categories:
Berry Reds & Purples – Anything that looks like ripe fruit tumbling off the bank should be a natural pacu trigger. Think dark red, purple, or wine tones.
Greens & Natural Blends – Patterns that mimic nuts, algae or decaying vegetation should shine in slower pools where pacu graze, especially in clearer water/
Dark Colors (Black, Brown, Junebug) – Just like pitching a jig and pig for bass, hen the water muddies up or current is ripping, darker baits create a stronger silhouette and help fish zero in.
Oddball Wild Cards – Many of the pictures we’ve seen show pacu with bright chartreuse, pink or red lures in their mouths. With that in mind, we’ll throw in a few colors that don’t look like food but are proven to catch bass – like chartreuse and bubblegum. If they don’t work in Argentina we’ll use them for spawning fish at home.
Finally, I’ll be sneaking a few scuppernong patterns into the bag. As I’ve written before, that’s a true classic from the old-school bassin’ days, and Japanese lure companies in particular seem to love it. OSP, Geecrack, and Raid all offer their own grape-hued versions—and if you’ve gotta have something purple, scuppernong is tough to beat.
Hooks for Rigging Dice Baits for Pacu
Pacu grow large and fight dirty, often turning their tall bodies sideways in the current like a permit. Add in a mouth full of heavy-duty chompers, and the finesse hook you’d trust for keeper bass simply won’t cut it here. Go too light on wire, and you’re likely to get your feelings hurt.
Fortunately, many top hook manufacturers offer wacky-style and finesse hooks built with stronger wire, perfect for dice baits in heavy current. Here are we’ll pack for Argentina:
We’ll also pack a selection of insert weights and nail weights for heavy current situations. I suspect it’ll feel a lot like fishing for spooky trout—getting the right drift may be just as important as the bait itself.
The Right Line Selection to Avoid Bite-Offs
Even though we’re new to pacu fishing, one thing quickly became obvious just from looking at the pictures: these fish have teeth that can do serious damage to your line. Tall, powerful bodies plus strong jaws mean that line choice will be critical.
We’ll be using a main line of 50-65 pound braid, but that can’t be the entire setup. First, we’ll need something with some shock absorption to cushion the hard strikes and we’ll also need to find a way to make it bite-proof. For hard lures that may mean pre-tired leaders like those used for musky, made of heavy fluorocarbon or even steel/titanium, but I fear that the hardware (snaps and swivels) will dampen the flow of the dice too much. We’ll need to find something that allows for a natural drift.
Instead, we’re leaning toward short sections of heavy fluorocarbon or even monofilament. Mono is pliable, easy to knot, and still strong enough for most pacu situations. I’ve practiced the FG knot extensively, so it should stand up to real-world testing.
Tackle Warehouse offers a few fluorocarbon leaders and spools of leader material built for situations like this:
Best Bargain: Seaguar Gold Label
Specialized Sizes: Defiant 100% Fluorocarbon Shock Leader
Smooth and Salt-Tested: Sunline Saltimate System Shock
Maximum Abrasion for True Giants: Sunline Saltimate FC Tunageat
Tapered for Maximum Performance: Sunline Tepa Tapered FC Leader
Tackle Warehouse even offers HI-SEAS ToothProof Stainless Steel Leader, and I suspect we’ll pack some of that for hard lures, but not for the soft baits.
Help Us Roll the Dice on Pacu
If you love testing outside-the-box tackle solutions like we do, our December 2026 trip to Argentina’s Don Joaquin River Lodge is tailor-made for you. We’re keeping this inaugural trip small and exclusive, so spots will go fast.
Want to share in our tackle stash and battle big pacu alongside us? Email us today to reserve your spot and join the adventure.
