Futa

KAILUA, OAHU, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS EARLY 1980s – LATE 2010s (line now retired; Dave Futa carried it on briefly, but Futa Lures are no longer made)

Tom Futa was an original Hawaiian master craftsman who began making lures in the early 1980s and built a reputation that traveled far beyond the islands. At a time when there weren't many handmade trolling lures available anywhere outside Hawaii, fishermen around the world were already catching fish on Futas — a testament to his originality, his custom work, and his deep experience in Hawaiian waters.

Every shape in the Futa catalog was Tom's own creation, and some of his designs aren't found from any other well-known maker — heavy jetted plungers (like the 14-inch "Black Beauty"), nine-inch slants with six-sided inserts, the "Paniolo," and more. It's a small family business, and when Tom was no longer able to make them himself, his craft passed to the next generation: Dave Futa and his wife now make Futa Lures, preserving the elite performance of Tom's shapes while expanding on their variety and creativity.

As a museum and archive, we're honored to document Tom Futa and the family that carries his work forward — original Hawaiian shapes that earned a worldwide following.

Notable shapes: Heavy jetted plungers, 9" slants with six-sided inserts, the "Paniolo," and other original Futa-only designs

Identification tips:

• "Futa Lures"; Tom's vintage originals (1980s–early 90s) are hard to find and prized, versus newer production by Dave Futa
• Original, distinctive shapes not seen from other makers; often heavy and jetted
• Stinger refers to the reverse tapered shape, whilst Submariner refers to heads without an aggressive taper.

Below, you’ll find our ever-growing digital archive showcasing every lure that has come through our shop. This collection is constantly evolving as new lures arrive, making it a living record of rare, limited-production lures. We will continue updating this database regularly, building what we aim to be the largest digital archive of offshore trolling lures in the world.

If you have any further information or any lures you believe deserve to be showcased, please reach out to us at ren@luremonger.com