Coming in at #3 on our 2023 Top Sellers list is the Tanigawa Lures 9" Bullet (#7 last year).
For this exercise, we combined both the 9" 2-Hole & 9" 4-Hole Reverse Taper bullets.
This right here is evidence of the growth of the Tanigawa brand, which we are beyond stoked to see. Within the top 10, he is the only non-full-time lure maker we have on the list as Lon is a full-time firefighter. I know it is a grind for him to produce as much as he does, but he is doing a killer job and creating a name for himself amongst the "big boys".
The 2-Hole bullet has been Lon Tanigawa's staple for many years and where Lon built his reputation as a lure maker (although his slants are also extremely popular). Given the fact that Lon's located on the island of Oahu, his bullets are a bit heavier than typical due to their rougher seas relative to Kona waters, weighing in at roughly 8oz in head weight alone. That being said, Chris Donato has been running them even in the calmer Kona waters, and Chris has commented on the consistent blackwater ripples it creates, producing some strikes off the Stinger position in the limited run he's had with them. Of course, it's not just a Marlin lure and has produced a ton of nice Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Bluefin.
Now let's get into the 4-Hole version. This was a brand new release in late 2021. It has a wider girth at the hips with a slight reverse taper to it compared to the forward taper only on the original 2-hole version. Since its release, they've gained some major steam to put it mildly. Lon's good friend Korey Yoshikami nicknamed the rainbow cracked glass version the "American Express" after all the success he was having on the lure (1st photo in this post). The name stuck, and while the "American Express" was originally referring to a specific color pattern, it is now used in reference to any color pattern in that shape.
We have a full interview with Lon Tanigawa on our YouTube channel, so check that out for a lot more on his lures and his story.
You can find current inventory available to purchase by clicking on the following link: https://gzlures.com/collections/lures-9-2-hole-bullet
