2025 BLUEFIN BLOWOUT CHAMPIONS

Jimmy Rig Charters Crowned Champion of the 2025 Bluefin Blowout
728-Pound Giant Secures Victory in the World’s Largest Bluefin Tuna Tournament

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Gloucester, MA – The 2025 Bluefin Blowout, the world’s largest bluefin tuna tournament, has officially come to a close with Jimmy Rig Charters taking home the top prize. Led by Captain Eric Vargas aboard their 27’ Cobia center console, the crew delivered a tournament-defining performance with a 728-pound bluefin tuna weighed in on Day One solidifying their position at the top of the leaderboard and holding strong through the final weigh-ins.

Hosted at Cape Ann Marina in Gloucester, MA and presented by the Lyon-Waugh Auto Group, this year’s tournament featured 117 boats and raised significant funds for the Alzheimer’s Association of MA & NH, continuing the event’s legacy of combining competitive sportfishing with powerful community impact.

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Jimmy Rig Charters seized their dramatic win after hooking and Atlantic bluefin using rod-and-reel tactics off the Massachusetts coast. Their setup included live mackerel deployed under a kite and a slick of menhaden (“pogies”) to draw in the fish. Once the tuna struck, the crew engaged in a grueling fight lasting over two hours before finally bringing the 110-inch-long giant alongside and securing it with a harpoon. “When we got the fish on board we knew it was a pretty healthy-sized tuna,” said Vargas. “But it kind of shocked us… It’s hard to know how much it weighs until it hits the scale.”

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The fish was then iced down and run 120 miles back to Gloucester, where it tipped the official scale at 728 pounds, earning a roar from the crowd and setting the bar for the rest of the tournament. Despite strong efforts from the rest of the fleet including a 653-pounder landed by team Outcast on Day Two no boat came close to unseating Jimmy Rig’s lead. Only 15 tuna were weighed in total, and none matched the weight or story behind Vargas’s fish.

 

For their efforts, Jimmy Rig Charters earned $150,000 in prize money and plan to donate a portion to the Alzheimer’s Association.

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“This win means everything to us,” said Captain Eric. “To compete against the best of the best and come out on top in our home waters—there’s no better feeling.”

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The Bluefin Blowout continues to grow in scale and recognition and 2025 will be remembered for the breakout dominance of Jimmy Rig Charters and a catch that quite literally stopped the docks in their tracks.