How long should my Hair be?
When tying a Hair rig, what determines the length of the Hair, as I have been getting loads of hook pulls? Ross Bannon
Graham Mabey says:: “In my opinion it all depends on the baiting situation that you are employing and the type of bait you are using. If I am fishing a pop-up then I prefer to have the Hair coming off the hook, halfway up the shank opposite the point of the hook. I use a short Hair with a small 2mm gap between the bait and the hook. My preferred hook pattern is the standard Mugga, as the bend in the pattern helps create a positive, aggressive downturn, even without using shrink tube on the knot.
“I use this rig when I feel that fish will be ‘hoovering’ the bottom rather than moving from bait-to-bait. This style of feeding usually happens when they are feeding on small particles or pellet. If I am fishing over boilies then I would use a longer rig or around eight- to ten-inches and have the Hair coming off the top of the bend with a gap of around one-centimetre. I use the Longshank Mugga’s for my bottom bait rigs.
“Try to figure out how the fish will be feeding on your spots and then adapt the Hair length to suit. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment. If you drop a fish, try lengthening the Hair and vice versa. Fish feed differently on each occasion so find what works best on the day.”