2019 Complete Standings
First Event: May 15, 2019
Costa Gulf Coast 2018 Captain of the Year
Captain Jason Buck
Done Deal, 70-foot Viking
Homeport: Houma, Louisiana
2,150 points include: Orange Beach Billfish Classic, Heaviest Marlin, 740.6-pounds; Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, 2nd Place; Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, 3rd Place; Blue Marlin Grand Championship, 1st Place; New Orleans Invitational, 1st Place; Gulf Coast Triple Crown, 1st Place.
When it comes to winning tournaments in the Gulf, few have nearly as much experience as Captain Jason Buck. Buck, a humble, down to earth former member of the United States Coast Guard, is soft spoken and not one for self-aggrandizement. In spite of the low-key way in which he presents himself and his fishing accomplishments, in many ways Captain Jason Buck is in a class of his own. Not only is the 2018 a repeat of his 2017 Captain of the Year award, it is Buck’s third Captain of the Year honor. 2018 was also Captain Jason’s unprecedented third victory in the Gulf Coast Triple Crown.
When describing his 2018 season, Buck is characteristically humble. He credits “a lot of things going just right” for the way things turned out. “The first day of the Wharf tournament (the Blue Marlin Grand Championship), we were just skipping around, trying to figure out where to spend the next two days. We stopped right on top of a double header of white marlin,” Buck recalls. Buck and crew had their live baits out for blue marlin – something that does not generally result in a very good white marlin hook up rate. “We caught one of the white marlin on a live tuna. That was the stinger that eventually gave us the lead (over the other boats with four blue marlin releases in the tournament).”
Beyond the consistency of tournament success in recent years, another constant on the Done Deal has been the stability of the crew. In 2018, Buck brought on Nick Bovell as first mate. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Bovell is about as well travelled and experienced as they come. He fished with the Big Oh in Cape Verde, has done stints in Australia and Los Sueños and much more. “He’s solid. All of his heavy tackle experience was such a blessing. Beyond the fishing, how many mates have their own Wikipedia page?” Buck says.
Going into the first tournament, Buck describes the anticipation of fishing with a new first mate. “Nick had never live baited and never fished with us. He is so humble and soft spoken, I was nervous about how he’d fit in with us.” This trepidation would not last long. “In the first hour of the tournament we hooked a fish, a 740 that won the tournament. We got a gaff into it and when the fish came tight on the rope, Nick took charge of the cockpit – directing the action. He was incredible, it was a great start to the year.”
Buck also gives a great deal of credit to the Done Deal’s primary angler – Katie Gonsoulin. Just how good of an angler is Gonsoulin? “The 640 we caught in the Blue Marlin Grand Championship was an eight-hour fight. Katie never complained, never questioned anything – she never did any of the things that you might expect out of someone in the chair that long,” Buck describes. “She has such great technique that a 100-pound girl can fight a fish in the chair for eight hours with as much as 45-pounds of drag. She just about collapsed when it was done, but she reeled in another one the next day! It’s impressive how well she does – I can’t imagine doing any better.”
While the point tally paints a pretty clear indication of how 2018 went for Buck and company, their fall yard list also illustrates the point. “We have a lot of repainting to do. The side of the boat is destroyed. We have to repaint the name – you name it. We have to redo the nonskid from dragging gaffs over it,” Buck says. 2018 was a great year indeed. Congratulations to Captain Jason Buck and the Done Deal team – owner Jon Gonsoulin, angler Katie Gonsoulin, and crew: Nick Bovell (first mate) Scott Sullivan (gaff man), Vic Lott, Wilkes Hammock and Trevor Lott.
Past Winners:
- 2014 Capt. Jason Buck, Done Deal, 1950 Pts.
- 2015 Capt. Robbie Doggett, Relentless Pursuit, 1750 Pts.
- 2016 Capt. Devin Potts, Sea Mixer, 1100 Pts.
- 2017 Capt. Jason Buck, Done Deal, 1400 Pts.
- 2018 Capt. Jason Buck, Done Deal, 2150 Points
Sanctioned Events:
- Orange Beach Billfish Classic
- MBGFC Memorial Day Tournament
- Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic
- Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic
- Pensacola International Billfish Tournament
- Blue Marlin Grand Championship of the Gulf
- Gulf Coast Triple Crown Championship
- Poco Bueno Fishing Tournament
- Houston Big Game Fishing Club’s Lonestar Shootout
- John Uhr Memorial Billfish Tournament
- Texas International Fishing Tournament
- Texas Legends Billfish Tournament
- New Orleans Invitational Billfish Tournament
- Texas Billfish Classic
- The White Marlin Shootout
- MBGFC Ladies Tournament
- Texas Women Anglers Tournament
- MBGFC Invitational Labor Day Tournament
Bronze Sponsors:
