Beginning to turn fish catcher's reel (6)
I believe the answer is:
totter
'reel' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'beginning to turn fish catcher's' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'to' is found in the answer.
'turn' could be 't' (abbreviation in Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations) and 't' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ter' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for totter that I've seen before include "Stagger, reel" , "rock" , "Walk unsteadily - nearly fall" , "Rag-and-bone man - summer" , "Walk unsteadily as if about to collapse" .)