MAUI, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS c. 1980s – PRESENT (start approximate)

Steve Elkins is a Maui lure-making legend — an old-school maker and captain whose handmade lures are so respected that Jim Rizzuto, the dean of Hawaiian lure-making writers, calls him exactly that. Elkins doesn't sell commercially; his lures are custom-made by request, hand-signed, and rarely surface secondhand, which only deepens their mystique among collectors and crews.

The reputation has the record to back it. In 2020, the Blue Marlin World Cup — the single biggest one-day marlin event in the world — was won on a lure Elkins built by hand. He's a fixture at the Bisbee's tournaments in Cabo, has caught big fish all over the world, and is famously generous with his knowledge, the kind of guy who'll talk "fish talk" all day.

His influence runs forward, too: Brett Crane of Crane Lures got his start fishing alongside Elkins before founding his own line. Elkins's shapes include the big Bonzoid, the Popsicle, and the Drumstick Flyer, often finished with mirror inserts and tinted backs.

As a museum and archive, we're honored to document Steve Elkins, a Maui legend whose hand-built lures win at the highest level.

Notable shapes: Bonzoid (large), Popsicle, Drumstick Flyer, Dill

Identification tips:

• Hand-signed and custom-made by request — never commercial, so genuinely rare
• Mirror inserts and tinted backs are common; Maui-made

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