Hooked Up Sportfishing

Captain Chuck Wigzell, owner and operator of Hooked Up, has been a captain in Kona, Hawaii since 1995, but his experience on the water in Kona began when he was just a kid. He first moved to Hawaii in 1985, when his parents took then-thirteen-year-old Chuck from his home state of Oregon to the Big Island. Together, Chuck’s parents opened a restaurant that is now a local favorite: Pancho & Lefty’s in downtown Kona. Chuck grew up in Hawaii, but chose to go to college at Southern Oregon University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. While receiving his education, Chuck also honed his skills as a fisherman; by scheduling classes every other day of the week, he was able to fish on the Rogue and other Southern Oregon rivers for salmon and steelhead on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As Chuck jokingly puts it, “I think I spent more time on the river than I did in class.” While his passion for fishing runs deep, Chuck credits the true start of his fishing career to his time in Kona in 1992. During the summer months of his college years, he and his brother would fish for the family restaurant’s local catch using their dad’s boat. Today, Chuck and his wife, Beverley, live on The Island with their two kids, Zac and Hana. Chuck’s parents’ restaurant, Pancho & Lefty’s, remains a downtown Kona establishment – and it still gets its fresh fish from Chuck himself. You can catch your own fish with Chuck and have it cooked for your very own fresh-caught fish dinner at Pancho & Lefty’s. Doing so offers you a 20% discount and a meal you won’t forget.

Rocky, a third generation fisherman, comes to Kona from November through April to escape the chilly winter months in New Hampshire. He fishes for Captain Chuck part time during these winter months. Rocky and his family own Gauron fishing Parties out of Hampton Beach, where they fish for cod, pollack and hadick, in addition to fishing commercial giant blue fin tuna. At the age of just 19, Rocky took over his dad’s command and took full responsibility for his family’s 90-foot boat. Today, Rocky splits his time between fishing off the coast of New Hampshire and fishing with Chuck off the island of Hawaii in the winters, which he has done since 2008.

Captain Shawn Slattery moved to Kona from Florida in 2015. Shawn has been commercial fishing his whole life around Florida and in the Gulf. He moved to Hawaii when his ex-wife took an opportunity as a full time chef in Kona. So he decided to follow the family out to Kona and help his ex-wife with the kids (he still has a great relationship with her). He finally started charter fishing for a living. Shawn still owns his commercial boat in Florida and has a captain and crew running it. Shawn crews and captains full time on Hooked Up and Ez Pickens and helps maintain the boats as well. He enjoys Kona deep sea fishing and the opportunity to be out on the water, meet new people and charter fish for a living.