Sports & outdoors
Capt. Steve Harman's Poor Girl's Open
All-women’s billfish release tournament at Bahia Marina benefiting breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society—250+ boats, ~1,000 anglers, $2M+ donated, plus optional tuna/dolphin levels.
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Dates and prices change—confirm with official sources before you book travel. Status uses US Eastern calendar dates for “today.”
Plan your trip
Tickets, parking, lodging pacing, tips, and official links for this event window.
FAQs
Practical visitor questions—kids, weather, parking, tickets, and local logistics.
About this event
Capt. Steve Harman’s Poor Girl’s Open is Bahia Marina’s signature mid-August ladies billfish weekend (August 13–15, 2026). Ocean City Fishing Center calendars call it the 32nd annual; some outlets say 33rd year—trust Bahia’s live entry packet for edition wording and fees.
Capt. Steve Harman founded the tournament so local waitresses and bartenders could take one day off for an affordable, fun offshore competition while raising money for breast cancer research. Organizer Shawn Harman (who continues the event after Capt. Steve’s passing) has explained the name that way: ladies fish one day—“hence Poor Girls.” What began as an industry day-off has grown into one of Ocean City’s largest women’s billfish fields.
Bahia’s page reports fields over 250 boats and close to 1,000 anglers, with more than $2 million donated to breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society. Participation is not limited to anglers: raffles, online silent auctions, 50/50 tickets, official merch, and other pink-weekend programming feed the charity total.
Competition is ladies-only billfish release, with published added entry levels for tuna and dolphin (and often wahoo on regional writeups). Leaderboards track billfish release points, cancer-survivor points, overall/junior anglers, and heaviest dolphin/wahoo/tuna—confirm 2026 categories before you ice a meat fish. Daily weigh-in / dockside energy commonly runs about 4:00–9:00 p.m. at Bahia; the signature Pink Party captains meeting is part of the social calendar.
The weekend sits between White Marlin Open and MidAtlantic—marina calendars stay hot through mid-August. Bahia’s midtown bayside campus (2107 Herring Way) also hosts the June DU Derby and September Flounder Pounder, so crews who know Fish Tales already know the parking pattern.
Official page: bahiamarina.com/tournaments/poor-girls-open. Cross-links: White Marlin Open, MidAtlantic, marinas.
For angler format notes, target species, and related tournament weekends, open the fishing events & tournaments card.
Full fishing tournament card All fishing tournaments
Quick planning tips
- Pad marina and Route 50 minutes—tournament weeks compress West Ocean City and inlet corridors.
- Book lodging early; billfish and tuna weeks stack with summer beach demand.
- Confirm weigh-in windows and public viewing rules with the host marina before you promise kids a “scale night.”
Full plan guide Official tickets
Map (approximate)
Top FAQs
- Does OCEANCITY.MD sell entries for the Poor Girl's Open?
- No—register only through the official tournament or host marina channels linked on this page. We publish planning context, not entry desks.
- Will this tournament affect my recreational charter day?
- Often yes near host docks—weigh-in crowds, trailer traffic, and reserved slips can slow staging. Ask your captain, and keep a non-tournament backup window. See charter trip picker and marinas.
- Why do listings disagree on the edition number?
- OC Fishing Center calendars call 2026 the 32nd annual; some outlets say 33rd. Use Bahia Marina’s current entry materials for official wording.
Sources we used
OCEANCITY.MD does not operate these events. Organizer websites, OceanCity.com, the Town of Ocean City (OC Ocean), OC Visitor, and regional tourism calendars are starting points—verify every time-sensitive detail directly.
Related guide on this site: older editorial page (may overlap topics).
