Fishers haul in out wide

I have been hearing encouraging news about marlin, sailfish, mackerel and good hauls of reef fish out wide.

Perhaps the sharks have backed off a little, enabling fishers to land something.

From my point of view, they may have migrated to creeks.

A couple of late-night missions have yielded very little, save a few nice bluenose salmon and bundle of sharks.

In light of the apparent increase in fishing activity, last week I offered some advice on baitcasting reels.

Since then I have been approached about a more multipurpose reel that can do the job for everything.

If you ever seen the inside of my tackle storeroom, you will understand there is rarely a reel that will deliver the best of all worlds.

I find that baitcasters are really good for fishing lures but are unnecessary for those who might only use them once or twice in a season.

They are definitely outclassed by the modern spin reels for offshore or reef fishing purposes. There are some well-rounded reels on the market at suitably affordable prices.

These reels are commonly referred to as baitrunners and were pioneered by Shimano in the late 1980s.

Shimano still lead the way in the technology it developed so many moons ago.

The Shimano reels fit in the medium-cost category and retail between $180 and $250.

They might struggle with a good-sized sailfish but should more than adequately deal with most fish off the Kimberley coast - the best of both worlds.

Penn and Okuma also have some reels on the market with similar mechanisms that enable you to have a preset front drag and a rear drag that effectively works as a freespool mechanism, without the frustrations that freespooling baitcasters can bring.

I have been hearing some good reviews of the Okuma Salina baitfeeders and if I was to look at purchasing a multipurpose reel, this would probably be my first choice.

Ultimately if you are looking to find a reel to suit all your requirements, I would say find a few extra bucks in your budget and get the best you can afford.

As reports are still floating around about the barramundi action heating up, a recent tag recovery reported to Broome Aquaculture Centre offered encouraging information.

This locally caught fish had nearly doubled in length in 12 months, to an estimated 72cm. The angler said the fish was in great condition, tasting great.

Ben Little is an aquaculture lecturer at Kimberley Training Institute and an advocate of sustainable fishing practices.