7-Hour Swordfish Battle, One NZ Women's Record — Helen Horrocks

Helen Horrocks is a Scottish-born sailor turned game fisherman turned boating coach, now based in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In this episode she traces her unlikely path into fishing — from scavenging tangled line off riverbanks as a kid, to kayak guiding in Paihia, to buying her own yacht so she could learn to skipper on her own terms. That same yacht became the platform for her game fishing obsession, sparked by a triple marlin strike that hooked her for good.

Helen now holds a ratified New Zealand women's record for broadbill swordfish — a 279.3kg fish landed during the Cater Marine Opua Small Boats Tournament off the Hokianga coast, after a brutal seven-hour stand-up fight that left her legs permanently scarred from the gimbal. She talks candidly about the fight itself, the physical and mental toll of chasing records on light tackle, and a separate, far scarier night targeting a ten-kilo bluefin record that nearly ended in disaster on the run home in the dark. Along the way she shares the gear, mentors and trial-and-error lessons that shaped her as an angler and skipper.

She also talks about "She's Got Game," the coaching business she runs alongside her marketing day job, built to give women hands-on, practical experience skippering and fishing rather than just theory. It's a conversation about obsession, complacency, teamwork, and why she thinks the best way for women to break into boating is simple: stop waiting for an invite and buy the boat yourself.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Meet Helen Horrocks — sailor, fisherman, boating coach, and founder of She's Got Game

9:22 The Watershed Moment — a triple marlin strike, learning from Bruce Martin, and eyeing the bluefin record

20:23 The Bluefin Scare — hooked, lost, and a dangerous ride home in the dark

29:12 The 7-Hour Swordfish Fight — hooked up, the physical toll, and wrestling the fish aboard

39:19 Gear & Advice — rods, reels, swordfish behaviour, and tips for women getting into fishing

48:55 Bluefin, TV & a Business Award — her first bluefin on camera and recognition for She's Got Game

58:38 Wrap Up — thanks and final words

FOLLOW HELEN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/88fishes/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@88fishes

SHE'S GOT GAME

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shesgotgamenz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shesgotgame

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shesgotgamenz

Website: https://shesgotgame.co.nz/

LINKS & SOCIALS

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@getthenet_nz

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1824558692

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/54DYLnjQkQLjdDz8USJgab

Music: Proctor (Topher Mohr & Alex Elena) | Satellites (Swello) | Momentum (Zplit) | Source — YouTube Audio Library

Shot on Sony A7iii + Sennheiser Mics | Edited in Adobe Premiere Pro | Shot, Edited & Produced by Nick Hoyle