Kerwin Masunaga (Kona Custom Lures)
**We are now offering brand new lures recently made by Kerwin Masunaga. The Pre-Owned collection is from his personal collection - See below for more details.**
Kerwin Masunaga is a Kona legend in his own right. He began commercial fishing full time back in 1975. One of his most legendary stories was the day he caught 12 tuna all over 200 pounds. Later on, he bought a 34' Raddon known as the Holly Ann which brought him even more accolades including the 2000 Blue Marlin World Cup.
Another legendary story includes the day he caught an 1,140lb Grander out solo on the Holly Ann after fighting the fish for 7 hours. He also was one of the first guys in the US to use the Greenstick, which helped transform the US sportfishing market.
He was also a crew member for some other true legends in the Kona fleet including John Llanes and Peter Hoogs (the father of Teddy Hoogs).
In 2008, Kerwin ran the boat Karma out of Cabo and won the Los Cabos tournament. He also caught a 1,043lb Grander to win the 2013 Marlin Magic Lure Tournament. On top of that, he was InTheBite's Hawaii Division back-to-back Captain of the Year in 2015 & 2016.
There are many more stories that could be told. For much more detail on Kerwin's whole story, check out the InTheBite article "Capt. Kerwin Masunaga: The Best Kept Secret in Kona". It is much worth the read.
Regarding his lures, they are extremely hard to find to say the least. He called his lure brand Kona Custom Lures, and they were made mostly for charter clients or himself. There was a time you could find them through Matt LoSasso through his Kona shop Kona Custom Tackle & Lures due to their close relationship that they still maintain. For years, however, his lures have basically disappeared from the market.
This special set of lures is from Kerwin's personal collection - The ones he kept for himself and fished with. Most have barely touched water. There are some rare one-offs that even the largest KCL Lures aficionado likely has never seen. This is a true gem of a collection, and we are extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to offer them to you all. What you see here is a rare treat - a legend's personal collection of his own lures. Credit must be given to Matt LoSasso for helping bring these lures back to life. Without his help, these would not be showcased for you all today.
Masunaga Kona Custom Lures Paua Blue Back Reverse Large Hard Head 12" 9.5oz Vinyl
**Lure comes skirted as photographed. This Masunaga Hard Head comes in a few different shape variations and sizes - This is the Large size with som...
View full detailsMasunaga Kona Custom Lures Paua Shell Purple-Blue Back Large Hard Head 12" 6.7oz Vinyl
**Lure comes skirted as photographed. This Masunaga Hard Head comes in a few different shape variations and sizes - This is the Large size with a m...
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