Abstract: A gang of adjacent hooks of a longline are located in a side-by-side spaced relationship. The gang of hooks are retained in a fixed position with respect to one another while bait is impaled on the hooks. The bait is cut into individual bait portions for each of the hooks.

Abstract: A fish hook storage magazine for storing the hooks of a longline during baiting and longline shooting is formed with a slipway for slidably supporting the hooks. The hooks are formed with a spacer which is mounted on the shank of the hook. The slipway and spacer have complementary interlocking profiles which permit lengthwise movement of the spacer with respect to the slipway while preventing removal of the hooks in a direction perpendicular to the slipway and rotation of the hooks about their shank. A bait applying mechanism is also provided which includes a bait support for supporting bait during hooking and a guide for guiding the bait support relative to the hook support to permit relative movement therebetween along a baiting path whereby the bait supported on the bait support is supplied to each hook of a gang of hooks mounted in the magazine. A bait cutting mechanism is also provided for cutting the bait after it is applied to the hooks.