A 73-year-old woman was stabbed by a 100-pound sailfish when it leapt out of the water as her friends reeled it into their boat.

Katherine Perkins’ fishing trip off the coast of Stuart, Florida, took a dramatic turn on 19 July when the bill of the mammoth fish impaled her in the groin area.

Ms Perkins, of Maryland, had been standing to photograph her two fishing companions bringing the fish in when she was injured, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

She received immediate aid from her friends, 75-year-old Louis Toth and 77-year-old Dominic Belleza, who applied pressure to the wound as they went back to shore.

She was taken to a hospital in unspecified condition.

The sheriff’s office said Ms Perkins reported that the fish leapt so quickly she didn’t have time to react.

The group was fishing about two miles out from Stuart, north of Palm Beach, when the unlikely strike occurred.

Sailfish are known for being incredibly quick, recognisable by their long, sharp bills.