OAHU, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS 1973 – PRESENT

Gary S. Yamamoto — not to be confused with the mainland bass-bait maker of the same name — is an Oʻahu big-game lure maker who has been hand-pouring trolling lures since 1973 under the name Magic Lure Enterprises. (He'd have simply called it "Magic Lure," but that name was already taken.) He grew up in the Kaimuki neighborhood of Honolulu, fished the piers as a boy, and got into trolling and lure making through his friend Michael Teraoka at Honolulu Community College, after serving his military obligation.

For decades it was a side passion. Yamamoto worked full-time as an IBEW electrician — wiring major projects including Honolulu International Airport — and made lures at his parents' home, then his own, until he retired in 2007 and leaned fully into the craft. His scoop-front bullet once landed on a magazine cover and got so popular he couldn't keep up; he later refined it with an angled front. Today he's best known for the shape that's been dubbed Hawaii's "Bucket Lure."

A Yamamoto is made in very slow batches, beautifully finished and nicely weighted for Oʻahu's rougher water — a favorite of local fishermen and not easy to come by. He's shipped lures worldwide (even to Moscow and Afghanistan, where deployed soldiers ordered them for leave), mentors younger makers, and teaches color theory and bird-reading on Instagram as @808magiclure. His peers — Garrett Lee of Tsutomu among them — rank him among Hawaii's best.

As a museum and archive, we're honored to document Gary S. Yamamoto and Magic Lure Enterprises, an Oʻahu mainstay since 1973.

Notable shapes: Scoop-front / angled-front bullet, the "Bucket Lure," jetted straight runners, slants, shell-veneer keel-weighted bullets

Identification tips:

• Branded "Magic Lure Enterprises"; slow-batch, high quality, often with genuine shell veneer and keel weighting for rough water

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