Everyone knows that a dog is man’s best friend. Just ask some of Kona’s top Big Game fishing charter captains. They’ll tell you that a Dawg is their best friend, too: the Koya “Poi Dawg” fishing lure, that is! In fact, it’s name in the Big Game fishing world is now interchangeable and in addition to Dawg, it is also commonly known as the Koya Poi Dog.
POI DOG LURE FOR TARGETING BIG GAME
The “Poi Dawg” is an iconic example of Eric “Koya” Koyanagi’s big game fishing lure creations. They are examples of perfection through design and years of fine tuning. Eric himself is not an avid fisherman. However, he is a lure craftsman par excellence. There are few peers of his caliber in the hand made fishing lure industry. Recently, Koya Poi Dog lures were responsible for some of the largest blue marlin catches anywhere in the world. In 2015 alone, Poi Dawg Lures tempted two of the six Granders (fish over 1,000lbs.) caught in Kona, Hawaii.
Read about – Kona’s First Grander
Read about – Kona’s Fourth Grander
Not only functional, Koya Poi Dog lures are visual works of art with a variety of colors and inserts. Charter fishing captains in Kona favor the dark back and mirrored silver underbelly. Eric’s attention to detail and need for perfection separates him from the pack among the shrinking list of handmade custom lure makers today. He is detail oriented. As a result, he has a stellar reputation as a custom lure maker. Koya is earning himself a spot alongside the legendary lure makers of old.
THE POI DOG LURES HAWAIIAN BORN
Eric Koyanagi started making lures as an income hobby almost 15 years ago. He became more serious about his lure making in the last five. While seeking perfection in design and balance, he started working with some of Kona’s most productive captains, and the “Poi Dawg” was born. As a result, the Dog was his first large marlin lure and it also launched his career as a custom lure maker. Consequently, after years of proven success, his lures have a large and loyal following in the global Big Game fishing community.
The first summer the Poi Dawg lure premiered in Kona, it attracted two Pacific Blue Marlin over 900lbs. By constantly tuning the design shape to run straight and by combining different reflective materials and colors, the Koya Poi Dawg has become the top producing big fish bait in the world since its introduction in 2011. With his reputation firmly established, and making full use of his FaceBook page, Eric Koya Koyanagi is able to accommodate custom lure requests from anywhere in the world.
FINE TUNING BIG GAME LURES
So how does Eric Koya, a casual angler by his own admission, know the secrets to making successful big game fishing lures? It’s simple. He asks. From his workshop in Holualoa on the side of the active volcano, Hualalai, Eric has a view of Kailua Kona and the entire Kona Coast. This is one of the richest fishing grounds anywhere. Consequently, in a matter of minutes, he can meet with big game fishing captains at their boats in Honokohau Harbor. Or they meet at the local angler’s mecca, Pacific Rim Fishing Tackle. As a result, Koya uses these meetings to test an idea, get suggestions, or just to talk story.
POI DOG LURES ARE HAND MADE
A typical hand made Koya lure has dark hues of black and blue along the top of the lure. Secondly, the underbellies are silvery. Therefore, once skirted and rigged anglers and captains run this lure from either the short or long corners flat off the transom, or using tag lines. The Poi Dog presents the appearance of a small tuna, a marlin’s favorite treat. To keep them running straight and to eliminate roll, Eric uses strategically positioned keel weights. He also uses reflective local paua shell (abalone) for color and sparkle. His signature Koya salt and pepper lures is a favorite with Kona captains and mates. They have the rich mosaic pattern of a Casablanca courtyard.
Working with molds for about 50 shapes, Eric Koya Koyagani makes approximately 300 lures a month. As a result, his arsenal of shapes range from small to large plungers and straight runners to the Mahalo Tube lure. And that’s only part of the story. He also makes a complete line of bullet lures. They come in five different shapes, solid and jetted including the deadly 9” tuna-bullet. As a true craftsmen, making each lure by hand, ideas for improvements come to him constantly as he works.
HOW TO RIG KOYA POI DOG LURES
For the best results, troll the Poi Dawg on 50 to 130lb. test line rigged with a 10/0 to 12/0 single hook rig or 10/0 or 11/0 double hook rig. Therefore, where big fish abound we recommend a small leader like the 530# Momoi X-Hard. As a result, the Poi Dog can run directly flat off the transom on the corners or as most captains prefer, with tag lines. Depending on position and adjustments, the Koya Poi Dawg will run in almost any water condition. In conclusion, Koya Poi Dog Lures are definitely the Big Game fishing lures for use anywhere around the world.
LINKS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To Eric Koya Koyagani FaceBook Page – FaceBook
Another Article on Eric Koya Koyagani – FishTrack
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