JAPAN — TROLLING-LURE ERA ~1970s/80s – ~1990s/early 2000s

Yo-Zuri is the long-running Japanese tackle company — still a major name in lures, lines, and leaders worldwide — but for this archive, it's their Hawaiian-style trolling lures that matter. Seeing a market in Hawaii they wanted to enter, Yo-Zuri produced a line of resin trolling heads whose designs drew directly on the early Hawaiian resin makers, and they were among the first to use shell veneer in place of shell slabs.

As the story goes in the local community, Yo-Zuri flew Chester Kaita — one of the founding Honolulu lure makers — out to Japan to teach them how to make fishing lures. They stopped producing these Hawaiian-style trolling lures long ago, most likely sometime in the 1990s or early 2000s. That makes those vintage Yo-Zuri heads a distinct, collectible chapter of the Hawaiian lure story, even as the company thrives in other tackle categories today.

As a museum and archive, we're glad to document Yo-Zuri's Hawaiian-style trolling lures — a Japanese chapter of the Hawaiian tradition, with a direct line back to Chester Kaita.

Notable shapes: Vintage Hawaiian-style resin trolling heads, among the first to feature shell veneer inserts

Identification tips:

• Vintage Yo-Zuri trolling lures in the Hawaiian style — Japanese-made, designs drawn from the early Hawaiian makers
• Among the first to use shell veneer (rather than shell slabs)
• A discontinued line — modern Yo-Zuri makes different (non-Hawaiian-style) tackle

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