OAHU, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS 1970s – 2025 (Ronald retired from lure making in 2025)

Ronald Shiroma is, simply put, the godfather of the modern Hawaiian bullet. One of Hawaii's most famous and sought-after makers, he's credited with popularizing the ahi-targeting bullet — a tuna-tuned design so effective that it reshaped how anglers think about bullet lures, and so good that a long list of other makers have directly molded and copied his shape over the years. When people say a lure is the ahi bullet, they mean a Shiroma.

Working by hand on Oʻahu, Ronald became known for his bullets, scoops, and slants — chief among them the celebrated Johnny Wad shape. His lures are trusted by Hawaii's tuna and marlin crews and run in spreads around the world; even top makers like Garrett Lee of Tsutomu will put a Shiroma bullet in the water right alongside their own work.

There's a quiet bit of history behind the scenes, too: for many years, fellow Oʻahu maker Ivan Honda of Sh-Bite poured Ronald's lead inserts for him — right up until Ronald retired from lure making in 2025. That makes his hand-built originals a finite, closed body of work, and all the more prized for it.

We're proud to carry Shiroma Lures, offering Ronald Shiroma's proven, hand-crafted ahi and marlin designs to anglers who value true Hawaiian craftsmanship.

Notable shapes: Johnny Wad (signature), bullets (4-jet and 2-jet), scoops, slants, straight runners, plungers

Identification tips:

• The definitive tells are his hand-cut skirt saddles — which taper slightly off the back end toward the tail — and his signature resin eye. Identification rests on these, not on any label.
• He's the ahi bullet — best known for the bullet he fathered, plus his scoops and slants like the Johnny Wad
• Because so many makers directly copied or molded his shape, the saddle cut and the resin eye are what separate a true Shiroma from a copy

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