problems panel
✕ Swivel rated 35 lb under 40 lb mainline
Any rig fails at its lowest-rated component. The engine knows both numbers because they are both published specs, so it can tell you the swivel is the fuse before the fish does.
rig studio · v1
Stop guessing at your terminal tackle.
Build the whole rig and watch it work.
Pick what you are chasing and where. Then build it — hook, beads, swivel, weight, leader, mainline, reel, rod, waders, kayak, drone — while a compatibility engine checks every number against every other number and tells you, in plain language, exactly what will fail and why.
- 17build stages
- 101components
- 23species profiles
- 24guides
- 8knot schematics
for people who read the spec sheet
Depth is the feature, not the fine print.
Most fishing sites hand you a ranked list and ask you to trust it. This one shows the working. Every warning cites the two numbers that conflict, the threshold between them, and what to actually do about it. Nothing is hidden behind a recommendation.
no hard blockers
Jump between any of the 17 stages at any time, in any order, with anything unset. The build re-evaluates instantly. There is no wizard, no forced sequence, and nothing gated behind a step you did not want to answer.
the guide finds you
Focus the swivel and the swivel knots appear, animated, step by step. Focus the leader and you get the braid-to-fluoro connection. You never have to know a guide exists to be handed it at the moment it matters.
the build graph
Seventeen stages, hook to drone.
The chain runs from what touches the fish all the way out to what carries you there. Each stage is a real catalogue with real specifications, and each one is checked against the rest.
plan — what and where
terminal — the business end
Hookhook.terminalThe only part that actually touches the fish.Beadsbead.terminalKnot armour, spacers, and noise.Swivelswivel.terminalKills line twist. Also your weakest link if you cheap out.Weightweight.terminalGets you down, holds you there, or ruins the presentation.Floatfloat.terminalSuspends the bait and telegraphs the bite.
connection — line and leader
platform — rod, reel, bait
field — you and the trip
Storagestorage.fieldBoxes, sleeves, and the pliers you will absolutely need.Apparelapparel.fieldDressed for the water temperature, not the parking lot.Waderswaders.fieldHow deep you can go and how hard you slip.Vesselvessel.fieldKayak, tube, or hull — matched to the water.Techtech.fieldSonar, cameras, and yes, bait-dropping drones.
Target and Water are planning stages, not purchases — they set the tolerances everything else is measured against.
start from the fish
Every number downstream comes from the target.
Each species profile publishes its working windows — line test, hook size, leader, drag floor — plus a behaviour model for how line-shy and how abrasive it is. Those are the tolerances the engine checks against.
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
The default North American gamefish. Lives in cover, eats anything it can fit in its bucket mouth, and will bury you in a laydown given half a second.
8–30 lb#4–5/06 lb drag
Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Stocked everywhere, wild in the good places. Soft mouths, sharp eyes, and a hard preference for the lightest presentation you can get away with.
2–8 lb#14–#42 lb drag
Northern Pike
Esox lucius
A mouth full of razors attached to a torpedo. The only fish on this list where skipping the correct leader is not a preference, it is a guarantee of loss.
20–50 lb1/0–7/010 lb drag
Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Shallow, tailing, and hard-charging. Sight-fishing a red in a foot of water is as close as inshore gets to hunting.
15–40 lb2/0–6/010 lb drag
Steelhead
Oncorhynchus mykiss (anadromous)
Cold rivers, long drifts, and light leaders under heavy fish. The most technically demanding build on this list.
8–20 lb#6–3/06 lb drag
Blue Catfish
Ictalurus furcatus
Big-river heavy tackle. A 40 lb blue in current pulls like a moving vehicle and will empty a small reel before you get the boat started.
30–80 lb5/0–10/015 lb drag
worked examples
Load a finished build and take it apart.
Eight complete rigs, from a hundred-and-thirty dollar bluegill setup to an offshore build. Open one in the studio and change anything — the engine re-checks the whole thing live.
The First Rig
Bluegill under a bobber, about $130 all-in
The cheapest build on this site that is not a compromise. A light spinning combo, mono, a #8 hook, a bobber, and split shot. This catches fish on day one and teaches you every fundamental.
Bass — Texas Rig
Heavy cover, braid, and a tungsten bullet
The build that defines modern bass fishing. Braid to a heavy EWG hook, tungsten to feel bottom, a bead to save the knot, and enough rod to pull a fish out of the salad.
Clear-Water Finesse
Smallmouth, light fluoro, everything scaled down
Gin-clear water where line diameter is the whole game. Light fluoro leader, a fine-wire hook, and a soft rod that protects it all under a fish that will not stop pulling.
Pike — Toothproof
Where skipping the wire leader loses the fish
The clearest case in the app for a hard rule. Titanium leader, heavy braid, a big single hook, and pliers you can actually reach.
Surf — Striped Bass
Ten feet of rod, four ounces of pyramid, salt everywhere
Corrosion is the design constraint. Everything metal is salt-rated, the weight is heavy enough to hold in longshore current, and the hook is a circle because the regulations say so.
Steelhead — Float & Jig
A 10-6 noodle rod and a drift float
Light leader under a heavy fish in cold current. The slip float holds depth through the whole drift and the soft rod is the only thing keeping the leader alive.
Inshore — Redfish
Skinny water, long fluoro leader, kayak access
A flats build. Braid to a long fluoro leader for the oyster bars, a jighead with scented plastic, and a kayak stable enough to stand up and sight-fish from.
River Catfish
Three ounces of bank sinker and a 8/0 circle
Heavy current, muddy water, and a fish that is not remotely line-shy. Everything here is about holding bottom and not gut-hooking the fish.
the reference
Guides written to be read at the vise.
01
gear
02Why Your Braid Doesn't Match Your Rod's Line Rating
Rod line ratings are printed for monofilament. Here's the diameter-based conversion the Rig Studio uses to compare braid and mono fairly — with worked examples and real numbers.
updated 2026-08-25gear
03Best Fishing Line for Beginners: A Practical Starter Guide
New to angling? We break down the best fishing line for beginners — mono, braid, and fluoro — with real setups, pound tests, and picks that actually catch fish.
updated 2026-08-11species
04Best Hooks for Bass: Sizes & Types by Technique
Pick the best hooks for bass by technique — Texas rig, jig, drop shot, and topwater. We cover exact sizes, gauges, and our tested product picks.
updated 2026-08-11gear
05Braid vs Mono vs Fluoro: The Complete Line Comparison
Braid vs mono vs fluoro, settled. We compare stretch, visibility, abrasion, memory, and cost so you know exactly which fishing line to spool for every situation.
updated 2026-08-11gear
06Choosing a Fishing Rod and Reel: How to Read the Specs
Rod power, action, lure and line ratings decoded. Spinning vs casting, why mixing them is a real mismatch, and the only two reel numbers that actually matter.
updated 2026-08-11hooks
Circle Hooks vs J-Hooks: Which Hook Wins for Your Fishing?
Circle hooks or J-hooks? We compare hookup rates, fish safety, and rigging, then show exactly when each hook style is the smarter choice on the water.
updated 2026-08-11what this is not
The limits, stated plainly.
known limitations
- The engine does not know your local regulations. Circle-hook mandates, felt-sole bans, barbless water and drone restrictions all vary by state and country. Check before you fish.
- Species tolerances are sane working windows, not world-record limits. People land fish outside them every day, usually on purpose and with a reason.
- Prices are rough street-price estimates for budgeting. They are never live Amazon prices and are not updated in real time.
- The simulation is a tuned approximation, not fluid dynamics. It is right about the direction and rough magnitude of a change, not the exact number of inches.
- It cannot know the conditions on the day, or how well you cast. Those are still the two biggest variables.
Found something wrong? Tell us — corrections to the catalogue and the rules are the most useful mail we get.
Open the studio and put something in the water.
No account, no signup. The whole build lives in the URL — copy it and it travels.
Open the Rig Studio