The Fishing
The Fishing
Anglers travel from all over the world to experience world-class sportfishing in Kona, Hawaii. Most come for a shot at a legendary Pacific Blue Marlin. In Kona, more “granders” (marlin weighing 1,000 lbs. and over) have been caught than anywhere else on earth. While a monster marlin isn't an everyday catch, the deep trenches right off the Kona coast mean a fish of a lifetime is always a possibility. Aboard Sweet Sadie, we also see plenty of action with hard-fighting marlin in the 150 to 300-pound range year-round.
Target Species: Marlin, Tuna, & Mahi-Mahi
Blue marlin aren't the only reason to book a Kona fishing charter. Our waters are teeming with Shortbill Spearfish, Striped Marlin, Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi), Bigeye Tuna, and Mahi-Mahi. In fact, Kona is arguably the only spot in the world where you can target the elusive shortbill spearfish with absolute consistency.
Family-Friendly Bottom Fishing
Beyond heavy tackle big game, Kona offers incredible bottom fishing for delicious table fare like snapper and monchong. These trips are full of action and perfect for families or young anglers, keeping a bent rod in the water and safely guaranteeing we put fish on the boat.
Comfortable, Calm Water Charters
One of the best aspects of a Kona sportfishing trip is that we fish the protected lee side of the Big Island. The ocean remains incredibly calm, winds are light, and land is almost always within sight—making it perfect for anyone prone to motion sickness. Best of all, the run to the deep blue fishing grounds is exceptionally short, so lines are in the water immediately after leaving Honokohau Harbor.
All in all, the fishery surrounding Kona is simply outstanding on all fronts.
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Our bread and butter is conventional tackle fishing, and we are well equipped for this pursuit. We have all new tackle from top companies like Shimano and Melton International Tackle and a state-of-the-art fighting chair from Release Marine. We also have electric teaser reels to run a full complement of teasers. And Sweet Sadie has a huge cockpit from which to fight fish and maneuver.
We typically either troll lures “Kona-style” or troll live bait, or, depending on the conditions, will use the “bait and switch” technique. We have the gear to fish 130 lb. tackle all the way down to 2 lb. ultralight. So whether you like to fish heavy or light, from the chair or stand-up, or bait and switch, or want to try a new technique for the first time, we’ve got you covered. We can even set you up to try different techniques on any given day. Our goal is always for you, the angler, to have a great day, so all styles are welcome.
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At Sweet Sadie, we’re all avid fly fishers and there’s nothing more we love to do than chase bluewater fish with fly rods. We target shortbill spearfish (probably our most sought after fish on a fly rod), mahi-mahi, several kinds of tuna, and striped marlin (all depending on seasonality and conditions). Our trophy target species is the blue marlin, which can top 1000 pounds, but we like those in the 150 – 200 lb. range for fly anglers, giving them a more realistic chance of landing the fish – but any marlin on fly is a trophy, no doubt!
Of course, Sweet Sadie is exceptionally fast and agile, allowing the captain to effectively fight fish in ways many other boats simply cannot. In large measure, this makes the difference between landing and losing fish on the fly – and we land fish!
We have gear and flies, you just need to show up and follow our instructions, and you’ll be good to go.
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Tournaments are exciting and intense and a great way to hone your skills and focus (and give you a chance to walk away with a big check). We concentrate on the Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series, but we are open to fishing any Kona tournaments our clients would like. Among others, some of the annual tournaments we fish include (dates depend on the year):
• The Lazy Marlin Hunt
• The Kona Kick-Off
• The Marlin Magic Lure Tourney
• The Firecracker Open
• The World Cup and Kona Cup
• The Kona Throw Down
• The Skins Marlin Derby
• The Lure Maker Challenge
• Big Island Marlin Tournament
• It’s a Wrap TournamentWe book up quickly during tournament season, so please contact us as soon as possible if you’d like to fish a tournament with us.
½ Day Charters — $1200
Off the dock early between 5:00AM - 6:00 AM. Lines in the water before the sun is high.
Spend a couple action-packed hours hunting Hawaii’s ultimate game fish. We’ll head offshore to troll for legendary Blue Marlin while working a full pelagic spread for Ahi (Yellowfin Tuna), Ono (Wahoo), and Mahimahi.
This is a fully private charter guided by a veteran crew who knows exactly where the fish are running. You’ll be back by early afternoon with incredible stories—and plenty of time left to enjoy the rest of your day.
¾ Day Charters — $1450
Off the dock early between 5:00AM - 6:00 AM. Lines in the water before the sun is high.
The 3/4-day charter is the ultimate angler’s choice, giving our seasoned crew the time they need to track down Blue Marlin and work the full pelagic spread for Ahi, Ono, and Mahimahi. Enjoy a premium, private boat experience and head back to the docks by mid-afternoon with a cooler full of stories.
Full-Day Experience — $1650
More time on the water means more blue water covered—and more shots at the fish of a lifetime.
This is the ultimate layout for serious anglers and anyone who came to Kona for the definitive big-game experience. You get the exact same premium setup as our 3/4-day trip—a fully private boat, expert local crew, and a relentless full lure spread—but with the crucial extra hours needed to hunt the deep trenches and do it right.
If you're here to chase a giant, give yourself the time to make it happen.
Multi-Day Excursions
3-Day Kona Intensive — $4,800
Three consecutive days of focused big-game hunting.
Designed for anglers who want to dial in a specific bite, switch seamlessly between heavy marlin trolling and live-bait techniques, and maximize hookups across prime lunar phases without resetting off the water each evening.
Multi-Day Excursions
5-Day Pelagic Masterclass — $7,800
The ultimate deep-water immersion and tournament-prep package.
Five full days on the water give our veteran crew the ultimate flexibility to wait out a change in current, track migratory patterns, and put you on the fish of a lifetime across the deep trenches off Kona.
The Extended Expeditions
Your private sportfisher and crew for an extended Big Island deployment.
For the angler who measures a trip not by the hours on the clock, but by the depth of the experience.
When you book Sweet Sadie for a week or a fortnight, she ceases to be a charter boat; she becomes your dedicated on-water asset anchored in Honokohau Harbor.
There is no rushing back to the slip because the clock ran out. Instead, you gain the rare luxury of time—the essential ingredient for chasing grander blue marlin, waiting out a shift in the Kona current, and dialing in a true rhythm with a veteran local crew.
These custom, high-immersion itineraries open up the full spectrum of modern sportfishing. One morning you are deploying heavy 130-lb conventional tackle to target apex predators along the deep ledges; the next, you are switching to vertical jigging, live-baiting, or heavy-duty pelagic fly fishing to test your skill against the ocean's most elusive game on a fly.
It is your private expedition, executed without compromise.
Get in Touch
A quick, honest note on booking sites.
When you search for a Kona fishing charter, a lot of the top results are OTAs — online travel agencies and booking marketplaces. They list dozens of boats side by side. They're convenient, and there's nothing wrong with using one. But it's worth knowing how they make their money, because most anglers don't.
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It’s free for you to browse, but it isn’t free. The boat pays the site a commission on every booking (typically 15–20% in travel), and some sites add a service fee to your total at checkout.
To win your click, the marketplace buys ads—which is why it sits at the top of your search results. The boat you’re fishing with usually isn't the one bidding; the platform is.
In the end, the marketplace keeps the relationship: your contact info, your booking, and your post-trip review live on their platform, not with the captain who took you out. That commission goes straight to the platform rather than the captain and crew running the boat.
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It's just the business model. But it means the price you pay is partly a toll to the middleman, and the local crew you fished with gets a smaller share and never gets to know you.
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When you book directly with us, there’s no commission and no middleman markup. You deal directly with the captain and crew—ensuring more of what you pay goes straight to supporting the boat and the team that takes you out. Plus, if you had a great trip, your review stays with our local business, helping the next angler find us directly.
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Booking directly with us is simple, transparent, and completely flexible:
10% Upfront Deposit: We only require a 10% deposit at checkout to secure your trip date on our calendar.
Pay the Rest Anytime: Pay your remaining balance whenever it's convenient for you—any time prior to your trip or at the dock on the day of your charter.
Pre-Trip Check-In: We reach out before your trip to review weather conditions, answer any questions, and handle final confirmations so there are no surprises.
Zero Added Fees: What you see is what you pay. We never tack on surprise booking, platform, or admin fees.
Easy Refunds: If bad weather keeps us at the dock or plans change according to our standard cancellation window, refunds are hassle-free and processed promptly.
