Long Lines FishingLong Lines are used to catch halibut and in some instance, cod and haddock. The long line has a comparatively heavy central line to which short lines or “gangings” are attached right angles to the main line and at distances of every few feet.
A barb hook, which is baited, is fasted to the end of each ganging. An anchored line carrying a float and flag is fixed to each end of the central line, the anchor holding the gear on the bottom and the flag, which rests above the water surface, serving to indicate them position of the gear. In setting the long line, the float and anchor at one end are thrown overboard, and the central line, with gangings and baited hooks, is run and allowed to sink to the bottom. The anchor and float at the other end of the line are then thrown overboard.
After the set has been allowed to lie for a period of several hours, the float and anchor at one end are taken in, and the line is pulled into the boat with (for halibut) or without the aid of a rotating block or cylinder. As the fish reach the boat they are flung onto the deck, or removed from the hook by hand with or without the aid of a “gaff” (or large unbarbed hook with a short handle). As the line, with fish remove, is brought into the boat, it is coiled into tubs so that the hooks can be baited without difficulty. Long lines may be set over a distance of one mile or more.Long Lines Fishing
