Hook trace length - your views

[SAfish]

OK, lets discuss hook trace lengths.
Is your trace length determent by the species of fish you target? OR Is your trace length determent by the sea conditions and area you are going to fish? I know a lot of people will use shorter traces when the water it rough and longer when the water is calm. There are also guys that will not use a trace longer than 300mm for a certain species but will use 600mm traces for other species.
Does it really make a difference in your catch ratio and how important is the length to you? How do you determine the length of your traces when you sit at home and make up traces? Do you actually measure the exact trace length or is it just a case of "more or less"?

[J-Rock]

I mostly use short traces in rough water as the line tends to get tangled & it also easier to get washed under or around rocks & sea grass. I use longer traces in calm water or when i need to float my bait to keep the crabs away.
The length is decided when i make up the trace. There's a guesstimated length. normally no longer than 50cm...

[steve m]

I consider both aswell as the depth of the water for kob normally 60 or so cm but for stumpnose in ct normaly 35 or so cm to keep it closer to the bottom and if I go for hammer heads in plett pe area I use long 1m or so traces with sa$e length sinker trace because they are normally higher up in the water

[REEFMAN]

My traces are most often determined by the sinker length!

I clip most of my edible traces (hook to the sinker) in order to try reach the 2nd sandbank, which is generally the type of structure one finds on KZN beaches.
Scratching around, I like to use a sliding sinker trace... which is also clipped.

Yes rough water, shorter trace. Calmer water, sliding trace with Fluoro hook snoots, as long as possible... 1m +

[Mike D]

@Reefs- what (influencing factor) determines your sinker length when using a sliding sinker trace?

[REEFMAN]

@Reefs- what (influencing factor) determines your sinker length when using a sliding sinker trace?

The length is determined by how long a drop you can cast comfortably.