OAHU, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS 1990s – PRESENT

Jon Niiyama opened a whole new chapter in Hawaiian lure design: the standalone, hyper-realistic fish head. Working from Oʻahu, he popularized the fish-head style — using modern materials and techniques to build heads that read like actual baitfish — and in doing so launched an entire genre and a global wave of imitators. His designs are widely considered unlike anything else on the market.

His path started young. His father brought him into both fishing and lure-making, the two learning the craft together when his dad bought his first boat, and Jon has built lures since his early teens, though he only turned it into a full-time pursuit in recent years. He's said it took decades and thousands of attempts to perfect the fish-head, and that it would be impossible to reproduce reliably without embracing modern tools — 3D printing, new materials, and the idea-sharing the internet allows. He credits his results to good teachers, having worked and collaborated with Hawaii greats Dennis Odagiri, Eric "Koya" Koyanagi, and Joe Yee.

The lures themselves are striking: textured gills and fins, curved and bumpy head shapes, creased mouths, and 3D ultra-realistic eyes, each hand-painted to imitate a specific baitfish — Aku (skipjack), Opelu, Mahi, Malolo (flying fish), even ballyhoo — and keel-weighted to swim true. Every head carries his distinctive hand-signed autograph on the step as a mark of authenticity. He's also partnered with Koya on a limited collaborative series, creating lifelike fish-head inserts for it. One of the newer names in the tradition, he's already regarded as a current-generation great.

As a museum and archive, we're honored to document the work of Jon Niiyama, whose lifelike fish heads opened a new frontier in Hawaiian lure making.

Notable shapes: Aku / Skipjack fish head, Oily Aku, Opelu, Mahi, Malolo (flying fish), ballyhoo-style fish heads

Identification tips:

• The realism is the signature — textured gills and fins, creased mouth, 3D lifelike eyes, hand-painted baitfish patterns
• His hand-signed autograph on the lure's step is the authenticity mark
• Keel-weighted heads; design work is highly original and hard to mistake

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