Captain Jason Buck 96’ Jim Smith A Work of Art

3x Gulf Coast Captain of the Year 2017, 2018, 2019

June 2026: No stranger to winning in the Gulf, this issue’s Furuno Captain on a Run is Orange Beach, Alabama’s Capt. Jason Buck, who finds himself in familiar territory after an impressive run from 2017-2019 when he earned three consecutive Gulf Captain of the Year titles. Fast forward to this year and Captain Jason and A Work of Art team opened up the 2026 Gulf tournament season winning the release divisions in two early events, the Orange Beach Billfish Classic releasing 5 blue marlin and a white marlin and then winning the release division in the Mobile Big Game Club Memorial Day Tournament in late May with 5 blue marlin releases. With each win Captain Buck garnered 500 points in top release boat points. Captain Buck’s A Work of Art team just completed the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic in which they released a blue and a white and fell short of the top of the leader board.

The A Work of Art is a 96’ Jim Smith Boatworks and is one of the largest boats competing in the Gulf Coast Division and when asked how the boat has been performing Captain Buck mentioned “Everything’s going well and it’s been running good, man, we love it. It’s still giant. It’s still takes a little more time to move on fish and all that stuff but it’s a 96-footer and it’s nimble for its size.”

When asked what’s been working for the season Jason is quick to say he is doing the same thing everyone else is doing but just beat them to the fish for the first two wins.  

Jason also mentioned the size of the marlin early this season has been smaller than years past. To date the largest blue is the recent Fleur de Lis blue of 631.2 lbs caught during the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic tournament ended June 9, 2026. The question many crews are asking is if any big fish will show up this year? For the Galati Gulf Coast Division Jason and the Work of Art team will head further east into Destin, Florida for the Emerald Coast Tournament June 17-21 and then try their luck at Bay Point in Pensacola June 23-28, 2026.

The A Work of Art is off to a great start and leads the division race by 200 points. Currently 5 boats are knocking on the door with just one 500-point win away from catching them. Can Captain Buck put his team in the bite and stretch his lead? Stay tuned….

Next up for Captain of the Year Sanctioned Events – Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic June 17-21, 2026, Bay Point Billfish Classic June 23-28, 2026

Check out Captain Landon Bell and the Metal Masher Captain on a Run feature who is currently in third place in the division.

2026 Standings:

Capt. Jason Buck / A Work of Art / 1,800 pts.

• Orange Beach Billfish Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• MBGFC Gulf Coast Masters, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Bay Point Billfish Open, 2nd Place, 300 pts.

Capt. Landon Bell / Metal Masher / 1,300 pts.

• Orange Beach Billfish Classic, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
• Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, Heaviest Marlin 780.4 lbs., 500 pts.

Capt. Hunter Smith / Boujee Marlin / 1,000 pts.

• Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Pensacola International Billfish Tournament, 1st Place, 500 pts.

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