Fishing: A Girl’s Game

Rebecca Nelson surprised herself with her success at game fishing.

While she says she has always loved any activities on the water, dropping a line in while cruising aboard her Riviera 61, Mazara soon turned in to a passion for competition.

Named Mazara in homage to the biological name of the Indo pacific blue marlin – Makaira Mazara – the boat is out almost every weekend, either bobbing around on Sydney Harbour or Pittwater, or out at sea.

Rebecca, who is general manager at vehicle leasing company, FleetPlus, and partner, Scott Taylor and their little dog, Oscar, are even keener entertainers than they are anglers.

“We overnight at little coves like Sugarloaf and Refuge Bay and have friends onboard for dinner, or days out,” says Rebecca. “Then there’s the other end of the spectrum, where we compete in game fishing events with the Sydney Game Fishing Club, which means we travel off shore and spend the entire day out on the ocean trolling for marlin, tuna or blue eye.”

In this year’s Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament, April 9 and 10, Rebecca created an almighty buzz on her boat when, the only female fisho, she landed a 115kg marlin on a 37kg line, part of the Sydney Game Fishing Club series.

“I was totally taken by surprise,” says Rebecca of her win. “It was extremely exciting as it is the biggest fish I have ever caught and came after a lull. We were not going too well in the competition. Then, we managed to land this fish in the last hour of the competition, which was brilliant.”

Her battle with the 115kg fish took just 45 minutes. “I have to acknowledge the efforts of the expert team we had on board for the day – we really had the cream of the crop as far as a team goes. As the only female on board, I was very well supported and given lots of coaching. We also had a client fishing with us on the day, so it was terrific for him to be part of the action as it doesn’t happen every time you go out!”

Rebecca’s team were ecstatic with her haul, adding to her elation. “When we arrived back at the club, there were already at least 10 other boats rafted up and everyone got involved in the weigh in. We had a presentation dinner that evening and awards and prizes were handed out to the winning anglers and boats. It was an absolute blast!”

A relative newcomer to the sport, Rebecca was first tantalised by game fishing in 2006 on a trip from Sydney to Queensland in their previous boat, also named Mazara, which was a blue hull Riviera 36.

“Scott and I were taking the boat up to Manly in Queensland and we decided to put a few rods in off the Gold Coast,” she recounts. “I was lucky enough to catch a little black marlin and five wahoo and I was hooked straight away. We had so much fun!”

Matching wits and stamina with the sporting fight in the fish and applying the skills to land it are just part of the appeal. For Rebecca, the sport is every bit as relaxing as it is invigorating.

“It’s peaceful to be out on the ocean at any time. It’s a release after a stressful week. Then there’s the heat of competition. Your blood pumps and you have to really focus. That’s where the team work plays an enormous part. It’s a great team sport because as much as the person who is on the end of the rod seems to get the glory, the reality is the skipper and the team on the tag pole or gaff and tracing the fish are actually all significant in the final outcome.”

Rebecca says the camaraderie is another reason game fishing has ignited her interest. “We all have a competitive streak, but the real fun is in the team spirit. There are many laughs and good times.”

Fine-featured and feminine, Rebecca says game fishing need not be the sole preserve of men.

“There are all different types of people involved in the sport and there’s something for everybody. I would never have thought I could enjoy it so much.”

Women, she says from first-hand perspective, would enjoy the stress-buster aspect of catching fish, for eating and tag and release. “You don’t need brute strength, but fitness does help. You can just forget about the hassles of daily life. You are in the moment.”

Now a seasoned and respected angler, Rebecca has chalked up catches of marlin, blue, black and striped, wahoo, yellow fin tuna, dolphin fish and a myriad more. “We also have a mako competition each year and an annual trout fishing trip to Jindabyne, so there’s a lot of variety.”

Mazara is kitted out with purpose-built fishing gear, including a magnificent game chair, outriggers and a tonne of rods. “Fishing represents about 20 per cent of our boating activity so we’ve made sure everything can come off and go into storage, ready for us to socialise and relax.”

With a calendar clear for a while until the next club competition, Rebecca is resting on her well-deserved laurels. “We’re planning to spend a week on the boat in Pittwater, rafted up with a few other friends and just chilling out, eating too much and playing in the water, on the kayaks and the tender. We probably will drop a line in . . .”

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