Team A Work of Art claimed the top prize at last weekend’s Blue Marlin Grand Championship at The Wharf in Orange Beach, becoming the first three-time champion in the history of the tournament, billed as “The Greatest Show in Sportfishing.”
The 14th annual event also produced the largest prize purse ever awarded at a Gulf-based fishing tournament, totaling $2,115,343, with a record 75 teams entering the competition.
Brandon Farve reeled in the winning 641.2-pound blue marlin for Captain Jason Buck and the A Work of Art crew out of Orange Beach. The team also placed second in the Catch and Release category, releasing seven blue marlin in addition to their winning catch, and took home the top prize in the Weighed Blue Marlin category, a tournament-record $785,556. A Work of Art is now the only team to win the tournament title multiple times, having previously claimed titles in 2012 and 2023.
C’Mon Man, out of Orange Beach, placed second with a 509-pound catch worth $383,436, while Gunnslinger of Destin, Florida, took third with a 447.6-pound blue marlin.
In the Catch and Release category, It Just Takes Time claimed first place after releasing five blue marlin, six sailfish and one white marlin. George Pratt of the It Just Takes Time crew earned the tournament’s Junior Angler award. A Work of Art placed second in the category, with Brittney Marie of Destin finishing third after five blue marlin releases.
In the Tuna Division, Rising Sons took first place with a 124-pound yellowfin tuna, followed by Lady D at 105 pounds and Presley Jane II at 94 pounds. CE won the Dolphin Division behind Annie Cooper’s 31.2-pound catch, with Miss Remy second at 27.8 pounds and Relentless Pursuit third at 24.4 pounds. In the Wahoo Division, Easy Trigger took first with 41.8 pounds, followed by Now or Never at 37.8 pounds and Miss Remy at 36.8 pounds.