Jubilation, envy and tinge of sadness over catch of giant snapper

She can't fish to save her life - Peter Jeffs of his sister's monster catchCAPTION3A novice fisherwoman has landed the holy grail of fishing, a 15kg (33lb) snapper caught off the Tutukaka coast, leaving her brother- who has dreamed of such a catch - absolutely gutted.
Visiting from Australia, Karen Walker and her husband Ray Walker hadn't fished for 20 years but they braved the rough seas with Mrs Walker's brother Peter Jeffs and inadvertently ruined his day.
Mr Jeffs says he will "never live down" his sister's once-in-a-lifetime catch which beats his and a couple of other  legends' records.
TV3's Gone Fishin legend Graham Sinclair and The ITM Fishing Show's Matt Watson have also been outdone by Mrs Walker's feat.
"That's a monster," said Mr Watson. "There aren't too many esteemed members of the exclusive 30-pound club - 14.2 kilos is my best." 
Mr Sinclair said: "My wife's caught a 31-pounder (14kg) so she's beaten her and certainly beaten me."
 Mr Jeffs, who landed a 14.5kg snapper 12 years ago,  could do nothing but "sit down and cry about it".
"She can't fish to save her life," said Mr Jeffs, who handed his sister the squid-baited rod.
 "I go out fishing all the time, but she goes out after 20 years and she gets this. First bite, first strike.
"She thought she was hooked on the bottom but we were in 150m  of water with floating rigs." 
Mrs Walker's husband Ray  reeled in the beast while Mr Jeffs was busy with a fish of his own.
"It wasn't until Ray yelled out, 'God, it's a big silvery thing'.
"Then all hell broke loose," said Mr Jeffs.
Once their ordeal was over, the couple complained of feeling sea sick and wanted to head back to shore. "But we'd only been out there about five minutes," said Mr Jeffs.
After taking photos the crew tried to release the monstrosity back into the sea but realised it was dead.
"There was a bit of jubilation but there was a bit of sadness as well," he said.
Skipper Pete Saul from Tutukaka charter boat Lady Jess estimates the fish  could be up to 60 years old. The age can be determined by counting the rings around the ear bone.
Mr Saul said this was the second 15kg snapper he had heard of being caught in the area this year. The first was caught on a handline by Evan Stevenson, 20, of Whangarei, in April.
Mrs Walker's whopper was landed on her brother's boat, Midnight Pearl, named after his granddaughter.
Like a true fisherman, Mr Jeff refused to disclose the exact spot but the crew were drift fishing about 12km off the Tutukaka coast.
The fish will be stuffed and displayed at Mr Jeffs's Surplus Direct store on Walton St before taking pride of place next to his last big catch, 12 years ago.