From the Fuzzy Dice of the 1950s to the Hairy Dice of Today

Ahh, how well I remember that pair of bright yellow fuzzy dice I had hanging from the rearview mirror of my ol' 1948 Chevy back in the day. Now, though, it seems that Saikoro (meaning dice) Rubber, or hairy dice, as some call the new 1/2-inch Japanese bait, is destined to become all the rage, thanks in large part to Elite Series rookie Kyoya Fujita (right), who nearly won the Okeechobee Elite with it.

Apparently the hairy dice has won a bunch of tourneys in Japan, where it's one of the hottest baits on the market. There's just one problem: finding these baits available for purchase. Because they're handmade, they are difficult to mass-produce. Word is out that they're going for like 3X the normal retail price on Mercari, the Japanese eBay.

There are two versions of the new bait: a non-salt model and a max-salt model. When fished weightless, the non-salt model is best fished on an ultra-light or light spinning rod and 3-to-4-pound-test fluorocarbon line. The Dice Rubber with max salt is a high-density model that specializes in the approach of using it in a deep range.

In either case, the color of the dice rubber will transfer its color if it comes into contact with other soft plastics, so buyers are forewarned to keep each color separate.

If you would like to see the bait in action, click on the attached link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iztk5bYIzA), and you'll be taken to a youtube video.