How important is hair length?

Question: What are your views on Hair length? Are we missing a trick by all fishing similar length Hairs and not opting for super long, super supple Hairs like it was originally created?

Luke Church

"I adjust to the situation"

“I believe that when using Hair rigs, it is always very important to make sure the length of Hair is correct to correspond with the fishing/baiting situation. I have always preferred a slightly longer Hair than a shorter one for the reason being to allow increased movement/flexibility between the hook and the bait, bettering my chances of the hook taking hold in the fish’s mouth. As I am sure it is the same with the majority of anglers, I will also vary the length of the Hair in accordance to the size of the hookbait I am using.

“Nowadays carp fishing is so popular, the fish that we are generally trying to catch are a lot more cautious in many scenarios so I would personally say if we were all using the traditional long Hair these days, we would most likely be ‘getting done’ more often than not by these wary carp.”

James Armstrong

"Only a few millimetres gap"

“I have never experimented much with long or short Hairs other than surface fishing or Zigs where I use a very, very short Hair so that the bait sits tight. For bottom baits, I have a standard length, generally leaving a gap of a few millimetres between the bend of the hook and the bait, just so that there is some separation. I’d rather know that when a fish sucked in my hookbait, the hook went with it, rather using a ridiculously long Hair – it’s just peace of mind really. It’s all down to personal experience. I have never needed to change, so I’ve never experimented. I do have friends who swear by a long Hair, Elliott Gray for instance. Again, though, I’d prefer to keep rigs that I have confidence in and worry about where I am putting them.”

Shaun Harrison

"I like very soft Hairs"

“Very simple really, I favour very soft Hairs made from rod whipping thread with a different colour for different hooks so I can see easily on the rig board what is what. (Green for barbless, brown for my normal hooks, black for anything different I’m playing with etc). The soft Hair allows the hook to up-end and grab far quicker than following through with a normal hooklink material on a Knotless Knot etc.

“As for the length of the Hair, with bottom baits and wafters I like the Hair gap to be about the same width as the bait so a 10mm bait will be on a 20mm hair, a 15mm bait will be on a 30mm Hair and so on. With pop-ups I shorten this a little."

Nick Burrage

"Give the hook some freedom"

“Hair length is a subject that’s been rattling around for years now; everyone has their own learning process and thoughts to help them in this area of rigs. Some get it and others don’t – that’s probably why there’s so many bald people about! I don’t need to sit down and give you guys a history lesson, but here’s my findings from years of studying hook holds…

“Short, short Hairs make the hook get dictated by the bait’s movement, the same can be said for a light hook and larger hookbait (hook freedom is what you’re after). Not just one thing makes a rig good, it’s a blend of many parts, from one end to the other. Where it all comes together for me in this bigger picture is using a larger, heavier hook (at least a size 6) as this creates its own drag in the carp’s mouth (I’m talking about bottom bait fishing here). The Hair length I choose for this is at least half the bottom bait’s thickness (between the bait and the hook/rig ring) and this gives the hook freedom and separates its movement from hook to bait and bait to hook! So if the hookbait is on its side, it’s not going to make the hook lose any of its own weight in the process!

“I fish my rigs heavy not as a wafter at anytime while fishing on the deck, so my heavy hook falls in the mouth and with the Hair separation it’s able to drag and take hold quickly. The length I suggested is a minimum, so it can be tailored to suit the size carp I’m targeting, home or abroad. I’ve never found the need to go really long with the Hairs, but slightly longer is better than too short every time. Give your hook the freedom it deserves.”