In New Zealand commercial fishing for snapper has gone through a lot of changes over the years.

Snapper longlines are no exception and the commercial snapper longliners now use the running trace method rather than the old method of tying traces directly to the mainline.

The clip on trace system uses a running trace which can easily slide between stoppers on the mainline.

The system is very productive, the fish can run with the bait after picking up the baited hook until the clip strikes a stopper.

This action actively sets the hook into the fish.

This system catches bigger fish which are more shy of obvious fishing tackle and many more fish overall than the old fixed trace longlines.

Another benefit of the running trace system is the traces, in not being fixed to the mainline, are much less likely to twist around it.

The running clip system is also much safer than running longlines with traces tied to the mainline.

Once the trace is taken off the mainline the line can be safely run back out if the line is snagged or a big fish or shark is caught.

The stops on the pre-stoppered line used in all Paul's Fishing Kites products are spaced at two metre intervals.

In use, a trace is clipped between stoppers, then two stops are let go before the next trace is clipped on. This leaves an empty space between traces so the hooks can not touch or the traces tangle with each other.

Paul's Fishing Kites have recently released a new In-line longline fishing clip. The new clip is less inclined to tangle the trace and any tangles that do still occur are much easier to undo.

REF : NZ Commercial Fishing for Snapper