KONA, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS ~1970s – PRESENT (brand: Kona Custom Lures / KCL)

Kerwin Masunaga is a Kona legend in his own right — "the best kept secret in Kona," as InTheBite once titled a feature on him. He began commercial fishing full-time in 1975 and crewed for greats like John Llanes and Peter Hoogs (father of Teddy Hoogs), then built a storied captain's résumé: he won the Los Cabos tournament running Karma in 2008, landed a 1,043-pound grander to win the 2013 Marlin Magic Lure Tournament, and was InTheBite's Hawaii Captain of the Year back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, with two grander blue marlin to his name.

Through all of it he's made his own lures, under the name Kona Custom Lures (KCL) — built mostly for himself and his charter clients, which is a big part of why they're so hard to find. He works in hard heads and a deep variety of plunger shapes, many from one-off molds so no two are quite alike, often finished with genuine shell veneer inserts. Among the named shapes is the "Kona Nut" (a hippy, doorknob-like plunger also called the "Mangler"). A limited number have reached collectors through Matt LoSasso's Kona Custom Tackle & Lures, with whom Masunaga keeps a close relationship.

As a museum and archive, we're honored to document Capt. Kerwin Masunaga and his Kona Custom Lures — a true Kona waterman whose rare baits are as accomplished as he is.

Notable shapes: Hard heads; XL plungers; the "Kona Nut" / "Mangler" (doorknob plunger); slant-face plungers — many one-off molds, often with shell-veneer inserts

Identification tips:

• "Kona Custom Lures" / KCL by Kerwin Masunaga; genuinely rare (made for himself and clients)
• Plunger-heavy with unique, often one-off shapes; genuine shell veneer inserts

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