Yellowfin tuna are on the bite, and Dalmeny's Georgia Poyner was in for an exhilarating fight.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 19-year-old spends most her time spearfishing, free diving, filming underwater or on deck working for Charter Fish Narooma.
During the strange COVID-19 times, Poyner hasn't been able to start her skipper tuition, but instead a few trips out wide has taught her how to wrangle one of the top target species in game fishing.
Last week, Poyner landed a 60kg yellowfin using stickbait. She favoured the modern technique, working a big lure across the surface.
"Trying to set the hooks in their mouth is hard - I missed three times and started feeling sad about it," she said.
The pressure was on as the Charter Fish Narooma crew hit a pocket of sauries and the yellowfin were going berserk.
"I was struggling with a heavier rod so tried a lighter rod, and hooked on first go," Poyner said.
"I started spooling up. I thought I was a goner.
"I tightened the drag, held on, and hoped for the best.
"They are a good fish, they go hard!"
After almost 40 minutes, Poyner was able to celebrate her catch.
Instead of trolling or tubing, Poyner said sickbaiting was more visual and exciting.
"I love being able to watch how fish hunt," she said.
"Going out there and seeing the 50-kilo-plus fish feeding on sauries, leaping out of the air - you wouldn't believe it ... it's one of those things you have to experience to appreciate how spectacular."
Poyner has taken part in NSW and Victoria Fisheries projects, helping to film and carry out research. She also surveys game fishing tournaments along the coast.
This year, yellowfin numbers and their size were beyond anything she experienced.
"In the 2018 Canberra Yellowfin Tournament I surveyed - not a single person caught one, and there were 200 boats that went out," she said.
"I am young, but I have been fishing for a while and have never experienced a good run of yellowfin.
"I have heard a lot of stories from people saying how good it was when they were my age."
Poyner believed certain game fish species were "making a comeback".
"The push for catch and release helps," Poyner said.
"There have been heaps of marlin and tropical fish off Montague Island.
"Kingfish are running really good at the moment too.
She said skipjack tuna was another: "I haven't seen them on the inside of the island for years, until recently."
Aged four, Poyner first snorkelled Montague Island with her dad. Since, she developed an "addiction to catching crays".
"I remember at school, writing my exams my hands were killing me - they were shredded," she laughed.
This year, on her diving ventures, Poyner noticed an abundance of sharks.
"It has been a really sharky season, the amount of sharks off the islands is crazy," Poyner said.
"Normally you see one or two, but there have been 20 - hammerheads, bronze whalers and grey nurses, they never cause any issues."
Poyner has worked on the charter boat since 2018. She loved the pressure of game fishing trips, but said it can be tiring when people don't take her seriously.
"So many people think I am 12, or that Benn (her boss) is my dad and I am just a kid out there for the fun of it," she said.
"I have to tell them I am almost 20 and I am working."