Nelson Bay and Port Stephens Game Fishing Club junior member Madison Fairlie has registered a pending Australian record on day one of the 2023 Golden Lure in Port Macquarie.
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The wait was worth it after two days of tournament delays when Madison caught a 23-kilogram wahoo on a 10-kilogram line near Hat Head on January 9.
Tournament director Janeck Kaczorowski said while the record won't become official for a couple of weeks after line checks are done, it was a mere "formality".
"These guys are seasoned fishers so I think it's a formality really because it [still] needs to be approved by the Game Fishing Association of Australia."
Kaczorowski acknowledged it was a significant catch.
"I think they're nearly the best in the ocean, but are one of the fastest fish in the world so it was a fantastic achievement," he said.
"They're great eating fish too."
Fishing conditions were tough and not ideal due to a strong southerly, but they remained "fishable" with around 10 black marlin tagged.
"There was a number of boats that caught yellowfin tuna around that 40-kilo mark," Kaczorowski said.
"There were some fish caught - predominantly black marlin - and there were a lot of hammerhead sharks tagged. Out wide there were those catches of yellowfin.
"The wahoo was the exception."
The tournament director was confident conditions would continue to improve as the week progressed.
"Particularly Thursday and Friday the weather will be beautiful so we're expecting boats to be a bit more agile and get to where they need to be," he said.
"We're expecting good numbers."
The major tournament continues on January 11 while an onshore fishing day for the kids will take place from 7am until midday at the Port Macquarie marina.
"It's open to everyone; they don't need to be in the tournament so we get a lot of kids and grandkids who come down to have a fish," Kaczorowski said.
"There are some nice prizes there."
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