Skillet Sportfishing carries the best verified customer record in Kona. It is a 32 foot Topaz run by its owner, Captain John Burke, who has fished these waters for the better part of five decades, and it holds a near perfect 4.9 rating across more than 400 FishingBooker trips, the deepest clean record of any boat in the port. You book the whole boat for your group of up to six, the captain knows exactly where the marlin and tuna set up in the deep water minutes off Honokohau Harbor, and the price is posted and fair. For a private day chasing a Kona blue, it is the boat to beat.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.0 Skillet tops the Kona ranking, a strong choice and the leader of a closely matched field on the strength of its record and its captain. It shares the top of the port with Hooked Up, also at 8.0, and edges ahead on the deeper, higher review trail and a veteran captain reviewers single out by name. It suits almost anyone after a serious shot at a marlin, ahi, or ono with a captain who has seen it all. The real trades are two. The boat is a mid size 32 footer rather than one of the big 40 plus foot sportfishers like Fire Hatt, and there is no shared option, so a solo angler pays for the whole boat or looks to Bite Me, High Noon, or Camelot for a share boat seat. For the deepest billfish pedigree, Humdinger is the other veteran pick. Compare the field on the Kona ranking.
The boat
The Skillet is a 32 foot Topaz, built in 2004 on twin 370 horsepower Cummins diesels, a proven Hawaii charter hull that gets to the grounds quickly, which off Kona is no run at all since the deep water sits within a couple of miles of the harbor. It fishes up to six anglers and is kept clean and well rigged. The honest note is size: at 32 feet it is a capable mid size boat rather than one of the larger, more comfortable 40 plus foot sportfishers in the fleet, so on a long, lumpy summer day it is a smaller platform. For the close in Kona grounds that is a minor thing, and the captain and the record more than make up for it.
The fishing and what you target
Skillet fishes the Kona calendar, which runs all year because the bite never really shuts off here. Blue marlin are the headline, caught every month in the deep water off the coast, with the biggest fish, including the occasional grander, most likely from June into September. Ahi (yellowfin tuna) and ono (wahoo) are the summer meat fish, mahi mahi fills in through the cooler months, and striped marlin and the prized shortbill spearfish run in winter. Captain John Burke sets the spread to the season and the target. Most Kona boats, this one included, release blue marlin, especially the big ones, and keep the edible fish within the size rules, so a marlin trip is largely a catch, photograph, and release day.
Trips and prices
Skillet posts clear private rates on its FishingBooker listing, all for the whole boat for up to six anglers: a 4 hour half day is $975, a 6 hour trip $1,200, and an 8 hour full day $1,400, as of June 2026. All the tackle and bait are included, and the crew cleans and portions your catch. The one thing to read before you book is the catch rule, which Skillet states plainly: a blue marlin over 100 pounds is strictly released, and an ahi over 100 pounds stays with the boat, the standard Hawaii commercial catch arrangement that keeps charter rates where they are. There is no shared seat here, so the per person cost depends on filling the boat. Our cost guide puts a Kona day in context, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs a private boat against a share boat seat.
The crew
Captain John Burke is the reason the boat sits at the top. Five decades fishing, the majority of it off Hawaii, gives him the kind of local read that decides a marlin day, and the reviews say it plainly and consistently: a knowledgeable, patient, communicative captain who is good with families and first timers and works hard to put people on fish. A 4.9 rating across more than 400 FishingBooker trips is the deepest clean record in the port, and a record that deep, that high, under one owner operator is the strongest single signal a Kona boat can carry. The honest caveat that comes with any billfish boat is in the reviews too: not every trip lands a marlin, because that is fishing, not a guarantee.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing, early for the summer marlin and ahi season, which fills. Bring sunscreen, a hat, a light jacket, food, and a passport only if you plan other inter island travel, since Kona trips fish home waters. The minimum age is 10. Hawaii now requires nonresident visitors 15 and older to hold a state marine fishing license, a rule that took effect in 2024, so check with the boat on how it handles that when you book. The tackle, bait, and catch cleaning are covered.
How we scored it
Skillet earns its 8.0 on a standout veteran captain and the deepest, highest verified review record in Kona, held level with the top rather than clear of it by a mid size boat and the absence of a shared option. Captain and crew and track record are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat and the Kona ranking for the field.