Bite Me Sportfishing is the largest charter fleet on the Kona coast, and the most flexible way onto the water. Running since 2000 out of Honokohau Harbor, it fields around seven classic sportfishers, a mix of Hatteras, Merritt, Egg Harbor, and Uniflite hulls, plus the 46 foot Ocean Encounters for big groups, and it sells trips three ways: private by the boat, shared by the seat, and large group. The shared half day at about $119 a person is the cheapest way to fish Kona among the ranked boats. The trade for all that access is the most polarized review record in the field and some fine print worth reading.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.1 Bite Me is seventh in the Kona ranking, a strong choice for access and budget and the operation to call when you want a shared seat, a big group trip, or the lowest price. Its case is reach: the largest fleet, every format, and a $119 shared seat nothing else in the ranked field matches. What holds it at the foot of the list is the record and the friction. Its TripAdvisor standing, about 3.9 across more than 450 reviews, is the most polarized of the ranked boats, well below the near perfect marks of Skillet and Hooked Up, even as its individual boats score better on FishingBooker. And the fine print bites: guests buy their own Hawaii license, and fish over about 50 pounds stay with the boat. For a shared seat with a stronger record, Camelot and High Noon are the alternatives. See the Kona ranking for the field.
The boats and the fleet
Bite Me runs the deepest fleet in the port, which is its real strength. The numbered boats are classic sportfishers from 38 to 53 feet, including the 46 foot Bite Me 2, a Hatteras with a big tuna tower, and the 42 foot Bite Me 6, with the shared trips running on the Bite Me 1, 3, and 4. For a large party there is the 46 foot Ocean Encounters, which takes up to 30. The boats are well kept and rigged with quality gear, Penn and Shimano reels, outriggers, and fighting chairs, and the fleet’s size means there is almost always a boat and a format available. The flip side of a fleet this big is consistency: with seven boats and a rotating roster of captains, the crew and the day vary more than on a single owner operated boat.
The fishing and what you target
Bite Me fishes the year round Kona run. Blue marlin are the headline, in the deep water off the coast every month and biggest from June into September, with ahi (yellowfin tuna), ono (wahoo), and mahi mahi through the seasons and striped marlin and spearfish in winter. The operation states plainly that it does not keep blue marlin, releasing them to grow and fight again, the Kona ethic. The catch rule on the food fish is where it differs: smaller fish are filleted for you to take home, but fish over about 50 pounds stay with the boat, so a guest who lands a big ahi on a full day may not take it home. That is a disclosed policy, not a surprise, but it is worth knowing before you book.
Trips and prices
Bite Me is the most flexible on price in Kona. Booked direct, its private rates are per boat from about $500 for a half day, $650 for a 3/4 day, and $850 for a full day, plus taxes and fees, with the bigger and newer hulls higher. The standout is the shared seat, about $119 a person on the Bite Me 1, 3, or 4, the cheapest way onto the Kona grounds among the ranked boats, and large group charters run on the Ocean Encounters. All the tackle and bait are included. Two frictions recur in the reviews: guests must buy their own Hawaii nonresident license rather than fishing under the boat, and the over 50 pound keeper rule, both of which a first time visitor may not expect. Our cost guide sets a Kona day against other ports, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs a shared seat against the whole boat.
The crew
Bite Me runs a roster of captains across its fleet, with the operation citing seven captains and decades of combined experience. The reviews are high in volume and genuinely split. On FishingBooker, where reviews come from booked trips, the individual boats score well, around 4.2 to 4.8, with praise for knowledgeable captains, well maintained boats, and good fishing. On TripAdvisor the average falls to about 3.9 across more than 450 reviews, the most polarized record of the ranked boats, with the complaints clustering on no catch trips that felt oversold for the price, confusion about what a shared trip includes, and occasional service or mechanical friction. The gap between the booked review scores and the open platform average is the honest headline, and the reason its track record and service score below the rest of the ranked field.
Booking and what to know
Book direct for the best rate or through a marketplace for convenience, and read the terms: the license is yours to buy, the over 50 pound fish stay with the boat, and the cancellation window differs by booking channel. Ask which boat and captain you are getting, especially on a shared trip. Bring sunscreen, a hat, food, and a light jacket. Hawaii now requires nonresident visitors 15 and older to hold a state marine fishing license, in effect since 2024, which here is explicitly on you.
How we scored it
Bite Me earns its 7.1 on unmatched access, the largest fleet in the port, every trip format, and the cheapest shared seat in Kona, held to the foot of the ranked field by the most polarized review record of the group, the guest pays license and over 50 pound keeper frictions, and the boat to boat variance of a large fleet. Trips and access is its strongest factor by far. See how we scored this boat and the Kona ranking for the rest of the field.