Amy Horscroft was overwhelmed with emotion when she hauled up a record-breaking 135.6kg, 1.89m long bluefin tuna in Waihau Bay last month.

And now the Te Puke woman's catch is a pending New Zealand women's 37kg line class record.

The 20-year-old didn't expect to hook such 'an impressive” fish when she headed out onto the water on July 11.

She was at the 1200m mark of Cape Runaway near Waihau Bay.

'It's the biggest fish I have caught and it was my first tuna as well. We didn't know what to think when we first saw it.”

It had only been 10 minutes when the bluefin tuna took Amy's lure, which is when she began the 30-minute fight.

'It was a half an hour fight and we had it on the boat by 8am that morning. The fish wasn't too stubborn, which was good.

"We weighed it soon as we got in on the boat because we knew it was a good one.

'It's definitely a once in a lifetime catch.”

The bluefin tuna has since been cut-up, vacuumed packed and given to friends and family.

'It's a lot of fish to go through, but they say it's the best you will ever eat.”

Amy has been fishing her entire life but says she has only become a fanatic over the past four years.

'It's a good hobby, and I just love being outdoors.”