DON'T be fooled by the seemingly innocent faces of teenage sisters Mia and Makira Wright when it comes to game fishing.
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Makira is a current junior world champion while younger sister Mia is no doubt aiming to knock her off that perch.
The two will battle against each other in the junior female division at the 2020 Golden Lure which starts this weekend off Port Macquarie.
There is a strong level of competitiveness between the two - don't think there isn't a lot of shoulder barging going on at the back of the boat when either of them are likely to land a significant catch.
14-year-old Makira became an under-16 junior world champion when she caught a 168.5 kilogram blue shark in Sydney last October.
It followed a near two-hour struggle before they could get it on the deck.
"We were shark fishing with some friends and they were showing us the secrets of throwing chicken wings in the water," she said.
"The first (shark) came up which was a bit bigger and I hooked that one, but it swam away and then a second one came and then we hooked that one.
"I was fighting it for an hour and a half and we finally got it up to the boat and it was a world record."
The two-hour fight with the shark was nothing compared to a six and a half hour battle with a marlin which the teenager has already had to overcome.
"There were a lot of points where I was tired and thought it wasn't a lot of fun," she said.
Makira said there was a lot of work required to catch a marlin - and that's before you even wet your line.
"First, you've got to drag the big gear across the deck to get to the chair which is really hard," she said.
"You have to set the strike, carry it to the chair and then you spend the whole time lifting and winding.
"Then the marlin might go 500 metres off (the back of the boat) and then you spend half an hour getting the wind back. It goes on and on."
They were looking to take some prizemoney back to Watson's Bay and perhaps set a new record in the process.
I was fighting it for an hour and a half and we finally got it up to the boat and it was a world record.
- Makira Wright
"Hopefully the next one is a shorter fight and hopefully it's during the Golden Lure."
Younger sister Mia became involved in fishing after growing up on a boat with mum Karen and dad Glenn being keen fishermen.
"My parents go fishing a lot and then me and my sister had competitions on who could get the fish first," she said.
"That's how I got into it. I enjoy it because I get to brag to my sister that I got the fish - that happens a bit."
This weekend will be the first time the teenagers have competed at the Golden Lure in the waters off Port Macquarie.
"It's fun when you catch the fish, but sometimes it's a bit boring when you're waiting for all the fish to come; it's different all the time," Mia said.
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