Dallas News Reported First: To the International Game Fish Association, Gillian Ricks may qualify as a small fry, but she sure caught a big fish — a pending world record for a female angler her age — while fishing offshore of Bermuda on July 15. Without any help, in accordance with IGFA rules, Gillian landed an Atlantic blue marlin that weighed 336 pounds, 6 ounces. The 8-year-old angler lives in Quitman and attends school in Sulphur Springs.
Gillian’s father, Sail Ricks, owns a sport-fishing boat, the El Cazador, which is kept in Florida most of the time. Gillian was fishing with her friends and family aboard the boat run by Capt. Michael Kennedy. The July catch was actually Gillian’s third marlin, her father said.
“Gillian has grown up on our boat,” said Sail Ricks, his first name indicating his Texas nautical background. He grew up fishing with his family in the Port O’Connor area.
“Gillian has caught a 100-pound sailfish that would probably have been a record,” he said. “The first time she caught a blue marlin, we didn’t know about the small-fry records.
“Gillian caught a blue marlin last year that was a little bigger than this year’s fish, but the reel got a backlash and I had to take the rod from her and clear the backlash because I was afraid she might get her fingers tangled in the line. My handling the rod disqualified the fish by IGFA rules.”
IGFA has records categories for youth anglers (ages 11 through 16), and there’s also a small-fry category for kids 10 and younger. According to IGFA’s Jack Vitek, there are 353 total small-fry records, none in the girls division for blue marlin. He said he has Gillian’s paperwork, but it usually takes about two months for any IGFA record to be certified, regardless of the age bracket.
The El Cazador has a fighting chair rigged for big-game fishing, but landing any sizable marlin is hard work, particularly for an 8-year-old. When the potential record fish bit, Gillian knew what to do. She set the hook, jumped into the fighting chair and prepared for battle.
July 15 was a rough day offshore of Bermuda, and waves crashed into the cockpit. The fight lasted 80 minutes, and Gillian got tired but she didn’t give up.
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