Tanabe Lures

HONOLULU, HAWAII — ACTIVE YEARS 1970s – 2008

Charlie Tanabe was a Honolulu lure maker active from the 1970s into the 2000s — part of the Oʻahu side of the Hawaiian lure-making tradition. He has since passed away. Charlie was the godfather of real fish head lures, although there were a few other makers making heads with real fish heads inside, Tanabe's were the best in his Era, even remaining better than most to this day. It is in our opinion and a lot of local people here that his 7" Fish Head Slant was one of the best producing lures ever made.

Detailed documentation of his lures is scarce in public sources, a reminder of how many skilled island makers worked quietly and left only a light footprint beyond the local fishing community. Genuine Tanabe pieces are vintage collectibles, valued by those who know the name.

Identification tips:

• Never labeled, so identification relies on the tell-tale signs.
• When we identify a Tanabe we look at the saddle, the shape, and the resin eye. The fish head lures are quite easy to spot but there are a few other lures out there that do look similar.
• The resin eye looks closely like Shiroma's, but the saddles are not clean whatsoever for most pieces, also he produced mostly smaller lures.

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