Hooked Up Sportfishing shares the top of the Kona field, and it is the boat to book when you want the most fish finding technology in the harbor. It is a 40 foot Uniflite, freshly restored in 2023, run by Captain Chuck Wigzell and his son, Captain Zac, out of Honokohau Harbor, and it carries a Furuno Omni Sonar, a system worth more than $100,000 that scans the water in a full circle far beyond a normal sounder. That edge, a clean big boat, a near 30 year captain, and a deep run of strong reviews put it level with the very best in Kona for a private marlin and tuna day.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.0 Hooked Up is level at the top of the Kona ranking with Skillet, which edges first only on a deeper review trail and a longer tenured captain. The two are a close call, and Hooked Up wins on the boat: a larger, freshly restored 40 foot hull and the Omni Sonar that few Kona boats can match. It suits a group that wants room, comfort, and every advantage on a tough bite. The real trade is that it is private only, with no shared seat, so a solo angler or a pair pays for the whole boat or looks to a share boat on Bite Me, High Noon, or Camelot. For the deepest billfish pedigree, Humdinger is the veteran pick, and Fire Hatt is the other big boat. See the Kona ranking for the field.
The boat
The Hooked Up is a 40 foot Uniflite on twin 385 horsepower Cummins diesels, built in 1983 and restored in 2023, so it is one of the freshest big hulls in the ranked fleet, with the deck space and the comfort for six anglers on a long day. Its standout is the electronics. The Furuno Omni Sonar gives the crew a real time, 360 degree picture of the water column well away from the boat, so they can find bait balls and marking fish a normal depth sounder would never see. Off Kona, where the fish are in the deep blue minutes from the dock, that head start matters, and it is the clearest equipment edge in the port.
The fishing and what you target
Hooked Up fishes the year round Kona pelagic run. Blue marlin are the prize, caught in every month in the deep water off the coast, biggest from June into September. Ahi (yellowfin tuna) and ono (wahoo) are the summer staples, mahi mahi fills in through the cooler months, and striped marlin and shortbill spearfish run in winter. Captain Chuck and Captain Zac work the sonar and the spread together, and the boat’s own reports show routine catch and release of blue marlin, the Kona norm, with the edible fish kept within the size rules. Like any billfish boat, it cannot promise a marlin every trip, and the reviews are honest that some days the ocean wins.
Trips and prices
Hooked Up posts clear private rates on its FishingBooker listing, all for the whole boat for up to six: a 4 hour half day is $910, a seasonal light tackle half day $950, a 6 hour trip $1,204, and an 8 hour full day $1,498, as of June 2026. Catch cleaning and filleting, drinks, and the use of that Omni Sonar boat are included, and cancellation is free with three days notice, which is friendlier than most. There is no shared seat, so the per person cost depends on filling the boat, and Captain Chuck’s family runs a downtown restaurant that will cook your catch. Our cost guide sets a Kona day against other ports, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs a private boat against a share boat seat.
The crew
Captain Chuck Wigzell has fished Kona for nearly 30 years, and running the boat with his son, Captain Zac, gives it a genuine owner operator feel, the person you book is the person at the wheel. The reviews are deep and consistently warm: a hard working, personable father and son crew, a clean and comfortable boat, patience with kids and first timers, and the sonar that keeps them on fish. A 4.7 rating across more than 80 FishingBooker trips, backed by a much larger base of TripAdvisor reviews, is a strong, current record. The honest theme that runs through it, common to every marlin boat, is that the catch is not guaranteed, so the crew and the boat are what you are really buying.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing or the operator’s site, early for the summer marlin and ahi months. Bring sunscreen, a hat, a light jacket, and food. The crew handles the tackle, bait, and cleaning. Hawaii now requires nonresident visitors 15 and older to hold a state marine fishing license, in effect since 2024, so confirm with the boat how it handles that when you book.
How we scored it
Hooked Up earns its 8.0 on the best boat and electronics package in the port, a freshly restored 40 footer with rare Omni Sonar, a long tenured father and son crew, and a deep run of strong reviews, held level with rather than clear of the top by being private only. Boat and equipment is its strongest factor. See how we scored this boat and the Kona ranking for the rest of the field.