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The 2025 Blue Marlin Grand Championship (BMGC), held July 17–21 at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama, lived up to its billing as “The Greatest Show in Sportfishing” as it also serves as the final leg of the Gulf Coast Triple Crown (GCTC) series. A record crowd of 15,770 spectators filled the marina for Saturday’s weigh-in finale, as 66 elite teams battled for a $1.8 million purse.
Over 110 billfish were released during the event, though the tournament’s longstanding record of 106 blue marlin releases set in 2024 remained untouched.
Capt. Wilks Hammock and angler Donny Rouse aboard Grocery Isle, an 80-foot Weaver based in New Orleans, headlined the tournament with a massive 746.2-pound blue marlin. Their fish dwarfed the competition by more than 100 pounds and earned the team First Place Blue Marlin and $409,977 in prize money. Grocery Isle also weighed the heaviest dolphin of the event, a 25.4-pounder.
Just 0.2 pounds separated second and third place in the marlin weight division. Easy Trigger, a 64-foot Viking out of Panama City, Florida, claimed runner-up with a 645.8-pound blue, edging out Cole Play of Orange Beach, whose 645.6-pound entry rounded out the top three.
In the release division, Devotion, a 60-foot Viking captained by Jason Hallmark, dominated with six blue marlin released, securing both First Place in the BMGC and their second GCTC title in the past five years – adding Hallmark to a short list of captains to achieve such a feat.
“We had a very slow start to the season, but finished off strong with Jason leading the team,” said an emotional owner, Josh Tice. “I can’t explain how much it means to have been blessed with Jason Hallmark in my life four and a half years ago, along with first mate Tyler Matherne.”
A Work of Art released five blues and one white marlin for second place in the BMGC, while Breathe Easy took third with five blues.
Nikki Bella set a new tournament benchmark for the BGMC with a 203.2-pound yellowfin tuna, topping the tuna category. Lady D (175.6) and Perseverance (165.0) followed.
In the dolphin division, Fleur De Lis secured second and third with fish of 23.8 and 21.8 pounds, respectively. Bella Fortuna won the wahoo category at 32.8 pounds, followed by Fleur De Lis with the tournament’s only other wahoo at 24.2 pounds.
With exceptional catches and a festival-like atmosphere, the 2025 BMGC delivered another standout year to close out an exciting and memorable Gulf Coast blue marlin tournament season—culminating in the crowning of this year’s Gulf Coast Triple Crown champion, awarded to the top-performing team across four premier events: the Orange Beach Billfish Classic, Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, and the Blue Marlin Grand Championship.
