High Noon Sport Fishing is the flexible, fleet pick in Kona, the operation to call when you want options on boat and format. It has fished out of Honokohau Harbor since about 1989 under Captain Dee Bradford, and it runs both private charters and shared seats across a small fleet, from the namesake 34 foot High Noon and the 35 foot Sundowner up to the 53 foot Maggie Joe for a bigger group. It carries a strong FishingBooker and Google record and a deep history. What holds it below the top boats is consistency, and a fleet that is partly cross listed rather than wholly its own.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.5 High Noon is sixth in the Kona ranking, a strong choice for a group that wants choice of boat and a shared option, behind the bigger single boat operations above it. Its case is range and access: private or shared, small boat or large, a sunset trip or a full day, under a captain who has run Kona since the late 1980s. Two honest things place it here. Its standing is less uniform than the leaders, with a solid FishingBooker and Google record but a more mid pack TripAdvisor rank and a small, real share of reviews reporting a slow or poorly run day. And the larger boats it lists, the Maggie Joe and the Kuuipo, are run in cooperation with another company rather than owned outright, so the fleet is less unified than it first looks. For the deepest records, Skillet and Hooked Up lead; for another family shared option, Camelot; for the cheapest shared seat, Bite Me. See the Kona ranking for the field.
The boats and the fleet
High Noon’s own core Kona boats are the 34 foot High Noon, a Blackfin restored in 2017 with a fighting chair and a full tackle range, and the 35 foot Sundowner, a Bertram that has fished Kona since the 1980s. For larger parties and shared trips it lists the 53 foot Maggie Joe, which takes a dozen or more anglers, and the 38 foot Kuuipo, a light tackle and live bait boat, both run in cooperation with the Inter-Island and Maggie Joe operation rather than owned by High Noon. That cooperative fleet is the source of its flexibility and also of its main complication: the experience and the captain depend on which boat you draw, more so than on a single owner operated boat.
The fishing and what you target
High Noon fishes the year round Kona run. Blue marlin are the prize, caught in the deep water off the coast every month and biggest from June into September, with ahi (yellowfin tuna) and ono (wahoo) through the summer, mahi mahi in the cooler months, and striped marlin and shortbill spearfish in winter. The High Noon vessel carries 30 to 130 pound class tackle and a custom fighting chair for the big fish, and its largest recorded catch is a 967 pound blue marlin. Like the rest of the fleet it releases big blue marlin and keeps the edible fish within the size rules. The shared and light tackle options make it a good fit for a first timer or a mixed group who want action over a shot at a grander.
Trips and prices
High Noon’s own rates page asks you to call, which is less transparent than the boats that post a clear grid, so the figures here come from its FishingBooker listing for the High Noon, all private for up to six: a 3 hour sunset trip is $795, a half day $875 to $950, a 6 hour trip $1,360, and an 8 hour full day $1,575, as of June 2026. The standout is the shared seat: a full day on the Kuuipo runs about $300 per person, a way onto the water without booking the whole boat. Rods, reels, lures, and live bait are included, and cancellation is free with three days notice. 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
Captain Dee Bradford has run High Noon since the late 1980s, and the reviews name him and the mate, Sawyer, warmly for a family friendly day, patience with novices, and a good time even when the fish are slow. The FishingBooker record, a 4.8 across more than 130 trips, and the Google record, a 4.6, are solid and current. The honest caveat is the spread: the Google reviews carry a small hard negative tail, the TripAdvisor rank sits mid pack rather than near the top, and because the fleet is partly cooperative, the crew you fish with varies by boat. Booked on the right boat with the right captain, it is a strong day; the variance is the reason it sits where it does.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing or by calling the operator, and ask which boat and captain you are booking, since the fleet is mixed. Bring sunscreen, a hat, food, and a light jacket. The tackle, lures, and bait are covered. Hawaii now requires nonresident visitors 15 and older to hold a state marine fishing license, in effect since 2024, so confirm with the operation how it handles that when you book.
How we scored it
High Noon earns its 7.5 on a flexible fleet, a genuine shared option, a deep history since 1989, and solid FishingBooker and Google records, held below the leaders by a more mid pack TripAdvisor standing, a small share of poor day reviews, and a fleet that is partly cross listed rather than wholly its own. Trips and access is its strongest factor. See how we scored this boat and the Kona ranking for the field.