Orange Beach Billfish Classic

The 30th Annual Orange Beach Billfish Classic runs May 12 through 16, 2026, at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, kicking off both the Gulf Coast’s big-game fishing season and the Gulf Coast Triple Crown Championship Series. Founded in 1996 by tournament fisherman Johnny Dorland and his family, the OBBC holds a distinction unique on the Gulf Coast: it is the only billfish tournament owned and operated by the people who actually fish it, and that hands-on heritage shows in every detail of how the event is run.

**Leadership and conservation**

The 2026 Rules Committee is chaired by Johnny Dorland, Travis Dorland, and Craig Martin, with The Billfish Foundation’s president, Ellen Peel, serving as Honorary Conservation Hostess. It is a fitting appointment for a tournament that has donated more than $1,000,000 to TBF and allied marine conservation organizations since its founding, weaving competitive fishing together with a genuine commitment to the long-term health of the fishery.

**Format and entry**

The tournament is capped at 60 paid entries at $7,500 per boat, with a $2,500 deposit required to hold a spot, drawing serious competitive teams from across the Gulf of Mexico. At its core, this is a blue marlin tournament. Catch-and-release blue marlin score 500 points per fish; white marlin, sailfish, and spearfish earn 200 points each. Blue marlin brought to the scale must meet a 107-inch lower jaw fork length minimum, and only one may be weighed per boat per trip. Optional cash categories cover tuna, wahoo, and dolphin (mahi), each with a 20-pound minimum weight requirement.

**Rules and integrity**

All teams must submit color video to confirm catch-and-release submissions, and any prizewinner may be subject to a polygraph test. The tournament takes its integrity seriously, and the rules reflect a competitive culture built over three decades of hard-won credibility on the water.

**Fishing days and weigh-ins**

Fishing takes place Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16. Weigh-ins are held at The Wharf Marina on Friday from 7:00 to 8:00 AM and 7:00 to 10:00 PM, and on Saturday from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. Prize money splits evenly between the landed blue marlin and catch-and-release divisions, paying out at 50, 30, and 20 percent to first, second, and third place respectively.

**The spectacle of weigh-in night**

Even without a team entry, weigh-in nights at The Wharf are worth arranging your schedule around. Boats glide in under the lights, crowds press toward the scales, and the charged atmosphere of a potential grander on the crane is unlike anything else the Gulf produces. The Wharf itself fills the surrounding hours well, with restaurants including Ginny Lane Bar and Grill and Mile Marker 158, an Amphitheater, shops, and a Ferris wheel providing an easy rhythm between the action on the docks.

**Beyond the tournament**

Spring in Orange Beach rewards those who linger. Pair the tournament energy with time on the white sand beaches, a sunset cruise through Perdido Pass, or a long ride through Gulf State Park’s trail network. The Gulf Coast in May is unhurried and luminous, and a week built around the Billfish Classic has a way of feeling like far more than a fishing trip.