Big Reidee Lures

Big Reidee Lures are handmade one by one by Ron Akana out of Honolulu, Hawaii. He has been making lures since the 80's, so there is a lot of wisdom put into the lures he makes.

The "Big Reidee" lure was first created in the mid 1990's after the birth of Ron's son. Prior to that, Ron had a smaller 5" lure he jokingly named "Big Ron." Once his son was born, the "Big Reidee" name was established in honor of his son. 

If you have ever seen some of Ron's lures in person, you know that the phrase "work of art" is something that defines his lures perfectly. I do not know of another lure maker that puts more time into each individual lure as Ron. Lure making is most definitely a hobby to him - It is not his primary trade of business. And because of that, he has the luxury of perfecting each lure to his own liking and building each one into its own masterpiece.

All that being said, if you have followed our social media accounts for a while now, or if you have had the privilege of trolling one of his lures before, you would know that they do indeed catch a lot of fish. And because Ron makes so few, he doesn't find it necessary to produce a ton of different shapes and sizes. He designed these lures with specific shapes (4-hole jetted scoop and slant) and size (9") in mind to catch as many varieties and quantities of fish as possible. A variety of species of Billfish (White, Blue, Striped, and Black Marlin as well as Sailfish and Swordfish), Tuna (including Yellowfin and Bluefin), Dorado/Mahi Mahi, and Wahoo are all species caught on his lures.

A bit more detailed information about these lures and how they run. Special thanks to Ron Akana himself for providing me much of this information.

Sea Condition: Tracks very well in rough seas but are also good in calm water. You can fish them in any sea condition.

Trolling position: Best from the long rigger or shotgun positions right at the edge of the white water where the wake becomes clear

Historical catches: Ron Akana himself caught a near 250lb Yellowfin Tuna on one of his lures (posted at the bottom of this article). His lures also won the El Salvador International Tournament and has also placed in Hawaii's Ahi Fever tournament and other local Maui Trailer Boat Club tournaments

Rigging Recommendations: 300# leader and a straight shank 10/0. If using 8" Yamashita skirts and trolling for Yellowfin, an 11/0 straight shank will work as well.

Lastly, I asked Ron if there was any other piece of wisdom or information he would like to share, and this is what he replied with: "I could never get myself to do the 'quantity game.'  I take hours on my lures and am not doing this to "get rich" that's for sure.  To know that the biggest lure makers in the world respect my work is so humbling...….and to also call them my friends, even more so."

**Special "Thank You" to Ron Akana for your contributions to this article.