Its decades-proven ⅓-taper, ⅔-length weight distribution delivers exceptional balance and an irresistible big-marlin action
Abalone shell veneer insert, teddy bear eyes
The plunger is unweighted as it is perfectly balanced and made from an original mold
Charcoal vinyl skirt
Lures are skirted by the captain himself
Lure Maker Bio
Bio: Captain Gene VanderHoek Captain Gene VanderHoek is a veteran Kona, Hawaiʻi fisherman and the creator of one of big-game fishing’s most recognizable saltwater trolling lure shapes: the plunger. Early in his career, Gene worked as a deckhand for legendary lure maker Bart Miller and Captain Scott Crampton.
As Gene says, “Bart Miller had forgotten more about fishing than most people knew.” How did Gene VanderHoek create the plunger lure? Gene recalls: “In the 1980s, I was fishing with brothers Rusty and Jimmy Unger, makers of Lollipop Lures. I brought along two lures I had made. The shape was inspired by a stainless-steel jet head with the nose cut off. “We ran two Lollipop lures on the starboard side and two of my lures on the port side.
Rusty called my design a ‘plunger’ because it kept plunging up and down through the water. One of my lures caught a 209-pound marlin, and the rest is fishing history.” The plunger went on to become a staple of offshore and blue marlin fishing. Today, nearly every major saltwater lure maker offers a version of the design. Legendary Hawaiian lure maker Joe Yee enlarged the shape and introduced his famous Super Plunger. Captain Gene VanderHoek still fishes the legendary waters of Kona and runs plungers made from his original 1980s mold, the same proven mold responsible for catching four grander marlin.
Shipping
USA: Free FedEx on orders $175+
Hawaii, Guam, U.S. Outer Islands: Free shipping
International: Free FedEx $449+ | $25 FedEx $250+ | $40 FedEx on all other orders