Barra Tackle on a Budget

By Robert Thornton

Barramundi fishing is a sport seemingly littered with prohibitive factors. The price tag on a lot of good-quality fishing tackle is a common terminus for anglers with barramundi aspirations, but it really doesn’t need to be. With a bit of knowledge and know-how, it’s quite possible to build a decent arsenal without spending thousands of dollars. In fact, Daiwa – being conscious of the angler on a budget – has not only options in this field, but a whole range to choose from!

In this blog, we’ll look at how you can put together a decent kit for barramundi fishing without blowing out your budget. We’ll look at the sorts of outfits you might need for your location and style of fishing, and then what Daiwa can offer to tick those boxes. In a previous blog we did a beginners guide to barra tackle, but the point of this blog is to look at budget options.

TACKLING MODERNITY

In the modern world, it’s far easier than ever to both buy tackle and get it at an affordable price. Once upon a time it was difficult to find reasonable quality gear at a decent price, with the only alternative being the ultra-cheap department store specials that were barely functional. Now, even some of the cheapies from the big stores will get you in the game! Good tackle doesn’t cost you much anymore, relatively speaking.

At a time when people are feeling the stresses of economic headwinds, this is good news. Furthermore, if looked after with basic care and maintenance, there’s no reason why cheaper tackle won’t last you for years.

WHAT EXACTLY DO I NEED?

This is an important question to ask yourself, and we get to those answers by looking at your location, and the style of fishing you’ll be doing. Let’s now look at what barra anglers need to cover the bases.

Land-based/kayak angler

Someone on the bank or in a small vessel will tend to use different gear to those with the luxury of a boat.

Sludging through mud-filled mangroves or pushing away branches with your paddle as you kayak in a small creek is not the sort of setting where you want a long rod. Generally, the type of places people target barra land-based tend to be fairly tight, with mangroves and other overhanging vegetation the norm. So for this work, shorter rods are the go, between 6 and 6 and a half foot long. It’s also a good idea (especially for those land-based) to use slightly heavier gear than normal (perhaps in the 5-9kg or even 6-12kg bracket), as this helps when lifting or dragging fish from the water and, importantly, away from where crocodiles can attack. Additionally, kayakers generally find shorter rods with short butts far more comfortable to use in their confined position. The 24 Aird X range offer two models, the 641MHFS and 641MHFB for spin and baitcast respectively, that have all the credentials mentioned above, and at a whisker over $100 each, they’re not bad value!

Reels ought to be hard-wearing and tough. Fishing from the bank or kayak can have an impact on reels, especially if not placed on the ground or in the kayak carefully. Metal bodied reels like the BG Spin are a good choice, however to save a little more, you could step down to the Aird SW spin reel.

It’s a little harder to find good quality baitcaster reels without spending a little, although the PT100 and MF100 are two worthy contenders under $200. The PT150 is a good option for a larger baitcast reel.

Wild estuaries from the boat  

Those with a boat will set themselves up a little differently. Given that estuary barra fishing tends to oscillate between hitting heavy structure in the shallows and targeting schooled fish down deep, it pays to have the gear to suits these environments. 

Flicking weedless soft plastics into mangroves and other snags in shallow water is best done with a relatively short spin rod, somewhere in the 4-8kg range, or even 3-6kg; a lighter rods makes it easier to skip a lightly-weighted plastic into snags. The DX 642MHFS is a great pick for under $150, and is both short and light enough to cast light lures under thick cover, but still powerful enough to pull a decent size barra out! Those who prefer baitcast tackle can do the same thing with the TD Hyper 641MHFB.

For working hardbodies, soft plastics and soft vibes in deeper water, most anglers like to use something a little longer. A longer rod allows longer casts, plus it helps the angler maintain contact with lots of line out, not to mention setting the hooks on a barra. This sort of rod makes a great allrounder for not just barra, but other large estuarine predators like threadfin, mulloway and mangrove jack as well. For this you can use a spin or baitcast outfit, however baitcasters offer more of the direct contact and control that these techniques call for. The TD Hyper 701MHFB is absolutely ideal as an allrounder in the estuary, offering a bit more length without being too long and unwieldly.

The reel options listed in the land-based/kayak section will work fine on these rods too. It’s worth adding, however, that the general estuary work in the estuaries takes a toll on cheaper gear, and it’s well worth going up a step with your reel if you can. Something like a PT300 or even Tatula 200, while costing more, can pay for themselves quickly, particularly in the harsh, hyper saline conditions of Australia’s northern estuaries. 

Impoundments

Our stocked dams hold the best concentrations of big barra, and big barra require heavy tackle. It’s true that impoundment barra fishing is hard on both angler and tackle, but there certainly are cheaper options if you don’t want to spend top dollar. What’s probably most important is a half decent reel, so it’s worth forking out a little on the reel if you can; rods built for 20kg fish don’t need to be particularly crisp or sensitive, just heavy!

If I had to pick just two outfits for the dams, I’d pick a 7-7’6” spin rod and a 7-7’6” baitcaster. The spin rod will cover casting weedless frogs and soft plastics, while also being a comfortable tool for working jerkbaits and soft vibes. A baitcaster will offer more contact, especially at times when feeling for every bump and bite counts. The baitcaster will also be the most comfortable outfit to troll with, as well as the best for pulling fish away from heavy cover. The DX 732HFS spin rod is perfect, and for baitcasters the TD Hyper 701MHFB is once again perfectly suited to this varied style of work.

For reels, again it’s worth spending as much as you can afford. Constantly casting and retrieving lures, as well as fighting big fish, can wear out the gears of sub-standard reels, even with saltwater out of the equation. Once again, the BG in the 4000 or 4500 size is hard to beat for a spin option, being incredibly heavy duty, affordable and reliable.

In baitcasters, I’d again be looking at the PT300, but ideally something like the Tatula 200 is going to perform better and last longer.

NO NEED TO BLOW YOUR PAYCHEQUE

Hopefully now you have a better sense of what you should reach for when putting together a barra kit. As you have seen, you don’t have to blow your paycheque just to get set up for a trip, and realistically the average Aussie worker could get themselves a decent set up (or even two) without even blowing half their weekly paycheque.

What’s even better is that these outfits are also effective for other things like jewfish, Murray cod, mangrove jacks, threadfin salmon and more, so you’re not just buying ‘barra gear’.

Maintenance is a big factor when using budget gear, especially if you want it to last, so for fishing tackle maintenance tips, click here.

Otherwise, I wish you luck on your barra journey!