Fishing: Toeing the longline

Setting a longline is a great way to involve the whole family as everybody can play a part, from catching the bait to setting and retrieving it.

Spend time with the kids and catch some fresh bait as they get a real buzz seeing the fish come on board and seem to enjoy eating more when they have played a part in catching it.

Trying to make your own longline these days is, quite frankly, too hard and costly when the price you can pay at a tackle shop these days is so cheap.

The rules for longlining are very simple as all you have to do is have the floats at each end marked with your name and phone number on it, have no more than 25 hooks on the line and no more than two lines can be used, set or possessed on board any one boat.

A rule I make is never to leave a longline set for more than two hours, as by then the baits will have been eaten by the fish or the crabs.

I once left a longline overnight and every fish was dead and had been eaten out by the crabs and lice - it was such a waste.

Baiting a longline is where less is best; big baits do not necessarily catch big fish, whereas small baits do, and more to boot.

The baits should only be the size of a 20 cent piece and pushed through the barb of the hook once.

I like to experiment by baiting half the hooks with one type of bait and the other half with another. It's funny how some days they will be all caught on one and not theother, so by doing this you have covered your bases.

When learning how to set a longline it pays to try it in a calm sandy bay till you get the hang of it.

Let the wind and tide help you by turning sideways to the elements so that you let the drift of the boat take the line out from the boat. When you want to retrieve it, go to the upwind end and remove the anchor, then go back down to the leeward end and start pulling it in.

This way the line is held up by the buoy at the top end and will not catch on the bottom as you drift back and not over it as you retrieve it.

Never set a longline in an area of strong current as the water pressure will drag it along the bottom, snagging it, and it can be quite a dangerous operation trying to get it back.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY