Billfish Grand Slam Unofficially Nabbed by Five-year-old Angler
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.24.13
A father-daughter fishing trip in Outer Banks, North Carolina last month yielded the fourth-known billfish grand slam for the state. Only two are officially on record, however, and Taylor Collins, age five, almost joined that number. According to The News & Observer, her catch of a blue marlin, white marlin, and sailfish will not be added to the records because she received help from her father, charter captain Lee Collins, and friend Bo Davenport. Nonetheless, Lee Collins could not be prouder of his pint-sized angler.
“My daughter is my world,” he told The News & Observer’s R. Cory Smith. “I’ve been a mate for 14 years and I just started running the Strike ‘Em in February and that was the first grand slam I’ve had caught as a captain. To do it with my daughter as the angler, that will be the highlight of my career.
Lee Collins originally planned to take a group of anglers out to prepare for an upcoming tournament on that day. When the group canceled, Collins decided to take advantage of his open schedule with a day of fishing with his daughter. It did not take long for Taylor to hook a 175-pound blue marlin. Collins and Davenport looked on in astonishment as the five-year-old took the chair and began reeling in the fish.
“When she reeled in that blue marlin, I knew she had a shot at a grand slam,” Lee Collins said. “That’s the toughest one to reel in.”
With the assistance of her father and Davenport, Taylor Collins went on to catch and release the blue marlin, as well as a sailfish and a white marlin. Her last catch completed the much-coveted billfish grand slam, which requires three different species of billfish to be caught in one day. That did not mean that Taylor Collins stopped fishing. Instead, she finished strong by catching a gaffer dolphin, tuna, and another white marlin.
By the time the trio returned to the shore, Taylor Collins was sorely in need of a nap, but not before a round of applause from the gathered Outer Banks anglers. While her grand slam is not official, the young angler will be receiving an “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the International Game Fish Association.
In June another North Carolina angler also completed an “unofficial” billfish grand slam. Will Kilpatrick, 13, caught the same three species that Taylor Collins did, albeit in slightly larger sizes. To celebrate the achievement in the traditional way, Kilpatrick was thrown into the water by his fellow anglers. Lee Collins and his crew declined similar celebrations, much to his daughter’s relief.
