RoShamBo Wins 2025 Poor Girls Open With 10 White Marlin Releases
By Scott Lenox
Posted on August 16th, 2025
I just got home from the 3rd and final day of the 31st Annual Poor Girl’s Open at Bahia Marina and it was a pretty busy day of scales action. We had several tuna come to the scales, but none of them were able to beat the 50.7 pounder in third place to take over a spot on the leaderboard. The only leaderboard change that we did see was a big one when Captain Willie Zimmerman and his girls dropped 10 white marlin releases with the earliest time that was good enough to take over first place in the billfish release category. Congratulations to the crew of RoShamBo and all of the other winners in the 2025 Poor Girls Open. And congratulation to the biggest winner of the Poor Girls Open…..the American Cancer Society!
Billfish Release
1st Place RoShamBo 10 White Marlin 2:14 PM
2nd Place Big Oh 10 White Marlin 3:23 PM
3rd Place Light’s Out 10 White Marlin 3:28 PM
Heaviest Mahi
1st Place Checkmate 25.8 Pounds
Heaviest Tuna
1st Place Pachanga 64.5 Pounds
Heaviest Wahoo
1st Place MarLynn 31.2 Pounds
Junior Angler
Annabelle Schiavano 4 White Marlin releases
Outside of the tournament there was some awesome billfishing for a couple of boats that decided to fish overnight last night into today. The crews of the private boats Max Bet and Light’s Out had spectacular fishing with 38 and 37 white marlin releases. Thanks to Sunset Marina for the pics!
Team Nauti by Nature fishing on board the Primary Search with Captain Austin Ensor didn’t have anything for the leaderboard in the Poor Girls, but they did have a great day with two white marlin releases, a longfin albacore and some mahi.
Big congratulations are in order for the team from Marlins for Mason for having a hugely successful event that raised over $642,000 for Dravet Syndrome research.
Capitan Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star was glad to be back on the water today, and his anglers were too.
Ahhh.. Back at sea.
What a time it was to try and find an ancient Vulcan coupling to repair my port transmission. Shopped in Brazil, Germany & India (where my credit card was instantly corrupted!) ..then the good folks at Great Lakes Power near Norfolk found one.
Had the gear out that night – did odd boat work while the hunt was on – then four of us were at it til 4am one morning & 2am the next installing the gear.
Last two bolts?
Stymied.
After learning how to seat a detent plate? Made shifting adjustments & done.
My long time friend and mate from mid 1980s, 90s and even a few years in the 2000s; Tucker has been successful in tournaments from here to Costa Rica – runs an amazing rig today. I once asked him if he’d ever get his own boat..
“Capt, I’d sooner stand on a street corner and hand out hundred dollar bills.”
Oyyyyy.. The wisdom of youth!
Ah well, a bit of east wind greeted us at the inlet this fine Saturday morning. Was enough to enliven the water but not so strong as to make it rough.
Day began at Calder’s Reef where Big Jon deployed a 28 block unit and a reef pyramid.
From there?
Eastward.
Sea bass bite wasn’t as robust as I’d hoped & certainly not as indicated by schools on my sounders. Some good fish bit though, even a few flounder. We worked piece by piece through the day. Current? For whatever reason the bite improved toward the end of our trip. Why not? Fish always bite best when it’s time to head for the barn. Most everyone ended up with a fine fish fry.
Did have one fellow who didn’t play the pool. Anyone care to guess how that played? Ron sure didn’t mind!
Last Thursday the boys deployed a 50ft steel pilot boat at Jackspot. It was donated and prepped by Capt. Stormy and crew aboard the Tiki XIV. Rare that I miss such but repair duties kept me from it.
Dave Hammond’s Memorial Reef has begun at last. In time it will be joined by two tugs — soon I hope(!).
I think that reef group will become especially toggy. And wherever tautog thrive? So does all the rest of it..
Last two pics are mate Jason’s first white and a hammerhead that swam around us today..
RoShamBo Wins 2025 Poor Girls Open With 10 White Marlin Releases
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