in Ireland they are mostly round the West coast (from Baltimore up to Donegal) and tend to be in deep water .
You can take them on almost any end gear you like (feathers/hokkais - baited is best, running ledger,flying collar, paternoster) shellfish (mussels, clams, prawns and so on) is a good bait but they will take any of the common baits but as he says above they fight quite hard AND have soft mouths
so if you use braid use an extra-soft rod and /or a "shock leader" of power-gum (the 20lb b.s.) or very stretchy mono and keep the drag light.
if you still find you lose a lot, see if it works out better with circle hooks - especially thick wire ones (like Mustad 39960 D).
They may not need to be big hooks - what you'll be trying is to get hooked into a tougher part of the mouth (I am not sure, but think the lips and "scissors" may be a bit rubbery...maybe)