Shooting the gear in longline fishing involves several carefully coordinated steps to ensure the line is deployed correctly. The following gives an overview of the main steps when shooting the gear.

Setting the gear start with 1) throwing anchor overboard, which is attached to the end of the groundline and ensures that the groundline stays in place on the seabed or at the desired depth. After the anchor is deployed, the 2) first buoy is thrown, which is attached to the Buoyline. Sometimes this is followed by the flagpole or the marker pole. This buoy marks the position of the anchor and helps maintaining the groundline depth. After the buoy has been set, the groundline with snoods are prepared for setting by baiting the hooks. 3) Hooks are baited automatically in a baiting machine – unless you are using pre-baited hooks. 4) the groundline and snoods are gradually released using hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical systems. When all the lines are set, 5) the end-anchor is set followed by the end-buoy.

The line is left to soak, enabling the baited hook to attract fish. Soaking time varies depending on the target species and fishing conditions.