About
About Sweet Sadie
Sweet Sadie is a 37-foot Merritt Sportfisher, painstakingly crafted in 1968 by IGFA Hall of Fame Captain Alan Merritt. Meticulously maintained her entire life, Sweet Sadie has been extensively refitted to include new clean-running, odor-free Cummins diesel engines, a state-of-the-art Release Marine fighting chair, new comfortable interior finishes, fresh paint, varnish, and an air-conditioning system to keep you in absolute comfort all day long.
She is a fully restored classic, perfectly tuned for fishing Kona’s calm waters. Some say it’s like fishing out of a vintage Ferrari—her incredible ability to maneuver in tight quarters gives our anglers pristine shots at blue marlin, mahi-mahi, ahi tuna, shortbill spearfish, and the many other trophy gamefish found off the coast of Kona, Hawaii.
Meet the Captain: Mat Bowman
Captain Mat Bowman has spent his entire life around the water, fishing and running top-tier boats. A graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Transportation, Mat’s greatest passion is tracking giant blue marlin across the Pacific.
Mat has fished the Kona coast full-time for over 12 years and has landed numerous monster billfish—including a jaw-dropping 1,309-pound blue marlin that earned him the prestigious In The Bite Captain of the Year award in 2015.
Before taking the helm of Sweet Sadie, Mat ran heavy-tackle marlin boats in Madeira, Portugal (another of the world’s legendary sportfishing destinations), where his vessel was named the “top release boat” for three consecutive years. Having overseen Sweet Sadie’s extensive refit and custom gear selection from day one, Mat ensures the boat is perfectly dialed in for the unique waters surrounding the Big Island.
First Mate & Relief Captain: Kyle Vannatta
As a native Hawaiian and third-generation fisherman, Kyle Vannatta has fished the waters of Kona his entire life. Getting his start on a local charter boat as a young teenager, there is arguably not a single species swimming in Hawaii's waters that Kyle hasn't targeted and caught.
Kyle has seen and landed too many blue marlin to count, and like Captain Mat, has brought multiple "granders" (marlin weighing over 1,000 lbs) over the gunwales in Kona. Kyle has also honed his big-game skills on global hotspots like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Madeira, Portugal. A master of advanced tactics, Kyle has crewed a number of historic IGFA world-record catches, most recently a prized billfish landed on a fly rod right here in Kona.
Get in Touch
½ Day Charters — $1200
Off the dock early between 5:00 AM - 6:00 AM. Lines in the water before the sun is high.
Private Half-Day Sportfishing in Kona, Hawaii
Spend four action-packed hours hunting Hawaii’s ultimate big-game fish on the calm waters of the Kona coast. We’ll head offshore aboard Sweet Sadie to troll for legendary Blue Marlin while working a full pelagic lure spread targeting Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi), Wahoo (Ono), and Mahi-Mahi.
This is a premium, fully private charter guided by a veteran local crew who knows exactly where the fish are running. Perfect for families, cruise ship visitors, or avid anglers with a tight schedule, you’ll be back by early afternoon with incredible stories—and plenty of time left to enjoy the rest of your day in paradise.
¾ Day Charters — $1450
Off the dock early between 5:00 AM - 6:00 AM. Lines in the water before the sun is high.
The Ultimate Kona Private Fishing Charter
The 3/4-day charter is the premier choice for serious anglers looking for deep-sea action without spending all day on the water. This six-hour trip gives our expert crew the crucial time needed to venture further offshore, track down legendary Hawaiian Blue Marlin, and work a full pelagic spread for Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi), Ono (Wahoo), and Mahimahi.
Aboard Sweet Sadie, you will enjoy a premium, fully private sportfishing experience. We’ll hunt the deep blue trenches off the Big Island coast and head back to the Honokohau Harbor docks by mid-afternoon with a cooler full of fresh fish and stories to last a lifetime.
Full-Day Experience — $1650
More time on the water means more blue water covered—and more shots at the fish of a lifetime.
The Definitive Kona Big-Game Fishing Charter
This is the ultimate layout for serious anglers and anyone who came to Hawaii for the definitive big-game experience. On our full-day private fishing charter, you get the exact same premium setup as our shorter trips—a completely private boat, expert local crew, and a relentless full pelagic lure spread—but with the crucial extra hours needed to hunt the deep trenches and do it right.
An 8-hour trip aboard Sweet Sadie maximizes your time in the prime bite zones, giving you the absolute best mathematical odds of hooking a legendary Pacific Blue Marlin, giant Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi), or Mahi-Mahi. If you are traveling to Kona to chase a true ocean giant, give yourself the time on the water to make it happen.
