Posted by Alan W. on Jun 29th 2025
the ELF
I have been making lures for over 20 years and came up with a number of designs and ideas, some really great and others... not so much ~ which has given me a great appretiation for the genius sometimes on display from other lure makers.
One lure I kept seeing online was made by Makaira pulling Lures, it was ridiculously simple and small but my goodness it caught tunas like crazy! As a fan of the Keep it Simple philosophy for everything in life I was blown away by the success of this simple little lure.
As time went by I would joke with Makaira online everytime I saw it with a big ole tuna that it was the one lure someone else had made that I wished I had created myself. After a while Makaira woould post his customer catch pictures and actively tag me and rub it in a bit. I would of coarse congratulate him and his great product in return.
Since then Makaira has retired form the game and he was kind enough to bless and trust me to continue the product in the Handmade Tackle stable. So after much tial and error it is finally here - the ELF mk.2
All lure makers do things in their own unique fashion so our ELF is a little different from the old Makaira ELF but the core is the same, a full 3oz sinker inside the head to give it a hefty presence and prevent it from being pushed aside by the tuna's bow wave. Behind the 'golf ball' head is a regular skirt dressed over with two layers of mylar and a set of iridescent wings.
So thank you to Makaira and good luck to all the fishers who carry this great lure into battle!