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The Grocery Isle

by David W. Brown Every year for more than a decade, the best anglers in the world have converged on Orange Beach, Alabama, for the “greatest show in sportfishing” — the Blue Marlin Grand Championship. It is part of the highly competi tive Gulf tournament circuit. The fishing enthusiasts’ goal is to catch the biggest blue marlin, among the largest and fastest fish in the world. Last year, the winning team hauled in a 650.4-pound fish. The year before that, the winner was just shy of 600 pounds. This year, the winning champion team—appropriately named Grocery Isle, owned by Donald Rouse and led by Donny Rouse—caught a marlin measuring 124 inches and weighing an astonishing 746.2 pounds. D onny has been an avid fisherman since high school. About 10 years ago, his friends introduced him to the thrill of marlin fishing. “It’s a different kind of adrenaline with a marlin,” said Donny. The tournament began on Thursday, July 10, at 11 a.m., and ran until Saturday evening; 66 boats competed. For bait, Grocery Isle used live blackfin tuna. When they’d hooked the marlin, Donny knew right away that they’d caught something big. It started jumping within a minute. The crew quickly got the gaffs ready, so they were fully prepared on deck by the time the fish was guided back to them. He fought it for about an hour and a half. “I was prepared to go four or five hours for a fish that size,” he said. It's a whole-team effort to bring in a fish as big as a grand piano. Once they got the marlin alongside of the boat, the team was able to stick two gaffs in it and tie it off. After that, they brought it onboard. Everyone had a job, including first mate Tanner Kesse, Donny’s nephew Britton Martinolich, and Donny’s friends David Breaud, Jimmy Greene and Zack Fillinich. Once they measured the catch, they knew they had a good shot at taking the Grand Championship prize — but there was still a day of fishing ahead of them, and they were 270 miles from Orange Beach. That’s a long way home, and the boat’s captain, Wilks Hammock, had to make sure they got back safely with their prize. Donny’s wife, kids, dad, and most of his family joined him at The Wharf in Orange Beach on Saturday for the weigh-in celebration. “It was exciting to be able to share that experience with them,” he said.

future generations, and Ducks Unlimited, which focuses on conserving America’s wetlands and the ecosystems that depend on them. “I can honestly say you won’t find anyone with more enthusiasm than we at Rouses have for the people, waterways and fisheries of our Gulf Coast,” said Donny. Rouses supports several Gulf fishing rodeos and is a proud sponsor of The Outdoors Show with Don Dubuc, which airs on radio stations across the region, helping keep the Gulf Coast’s fishing culture front and center. And Rouses sells more local seafood than any other retailer on the Gulf Coast. That means direct support for the fishers, shrimpers, crabbers and families who depend on these waters for their livelihood — and fresher seafood for Rouses customers. life—onshore, offshore, and everywhere in between— often alongside his grandfather, Donald. (Britton is one of Donald’s six grandchildren, all of whom hunt and fish with him.) At this year’s Blue Marlin Grand Championship, he caught the biggest dolphin (mahi mahi) of his life. It was only the second one he had ever caught — the first was just the day before. “It was so colorful, I could see it coming through the water,” he says. “It hit the bait hard and took off.” Eight minutes later, he reeled it in with the whole boat watching. His 25.4-pound catch earned him first place in the Heaviest Dolphin category. The Good Luck Charm Britton Martinolich has been fishing his whole

Britton was on the boat Grocery Isle with his uncle, Donny Rouse, when they caught the tournament’s winning blue marlin. “I filmed it jumping so they’d know it was a marlin,” he says. “You can hear me in the video. I’m yelling, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a big marlin!’” He’s officially the boat’s good luck charm.

The Blue Marlin Grand Championship benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Rouses is a longtime supporter of its lifesaving mission. Donny Rouse and Rouses Markets are also actively involved in protecting our coast and its resources through organizations like the Coastal Conservation Associ ation, which works to preserve fish populations for

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