Rig selector and builder

The reviewed rigs

The whole catalogue in text. The builder replaces this list when JavaScript is available.

Fixed float rigFreshwater

A float locked to the line at a set depth, with the bait hanging below it so the float itself is the bite alarm.

First freshwater bait fishing, especially panfish and trout in shallow water.

What you need

  • Main line6 lb mono
  • FloatMedium, about 1.5 in, locked at 24 in above the hook
  • HookAberdeen, size 6
  • Baityour bait

How it goes together

  1. Slide the float onto the main line and set it so the hook will hang 24 in below it. That distance is your fishing depth.
  2. Pinch the split shot onto the line about 6 to 12 inches above where the hook will sit.
  3. Tie the Aberdeen, size 6 to the end of the line with an improved clinch knot, and wet the knot before you pull it tight.
  4. Bait the hook with your bait, leaving the point just clear of the bait.
  5. Cast past the spot, let the float settle, and watch the float rather than the rod tip.
  6. When the float dips, leans, or slides under, lift the rod steadily to set the hook.

Pond and lake edges, weed lines, dock shade, and slow water under about 5 feet deep.

A fixed float is a shallow-water rig. Past about 5 or 6 feet, a slip float sets depth better and casts farther.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. Sizes and depths come from the simple rig, bobber, and panfish guides. The bait-depth range is an interface bound on top of the bobber guide's rule that depth is set by sliding the float.

Slip float rigFreshwater

A float that slides on the line up to a bobber stop, so the bait fishes deep and the cast still travels.

Freshwater bait fishing deeper than a fixed float can reach, or across a longer cast.

What you need

  • Main line8 lb mono
  • Bobber stopset at 12 ft above the hook
  • Slip floatMedium, about 1.5 in, slides freely on the line
  • Protective beadbetween the float and the stop, so the float does not slam the stop
  • HookOctopus, size 6
  • Baityour bait

How it goes together

  1. Slide the bobber stop onto the line first, and set it at 12 ft above where the hook will tie on.
  2. Thread the slip float onto the line below the stop. It should move freely: that is what lets it cast and then rise to the stop.
  3. Slide the protective bead onto the line below the float, so the float meets the bead instead of the stop.
  4. Pinch the split shot onto the line just above the hook.
  5. Tie the Octopus, size 6 on with an improved clinch knot.
  6. Bait up, cast, and let the float rise to the stop before you settle in to watch it.
  7. When the float goes under or starts travelling sideways, lift the rod to set the hook.

Deeper pond and lake edges, drop-offs, and current seams where fish hold below the surface.

A slip float needs a stop the line can grip. On very light line, pinch the stop gently or it will cut the line.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. The five setup steps and the hook sizes are the bobber guide's. The 6 to 40 ft stop range is an interface bound around the guide's 6 to 20+ ft claim.

Texas rigFreshwater

A bullet weight that slides above a weedless soft plastic, so the bait comes through cover that eats an exposed hook.

Freshwater bass fishing with soft plastics around weeds, timber, and rock.

What you need

  • Line12 lb fluorocarbon
  • Bullet weight0.25 oz, threaded on above the hook and free to slide
  • EWG offset hook2/0
  • Soft plasticSmall, 2 to 4 in (your bait)

How it goes together

  1. Thread the bullet weight onto the line first. Once the hook is tied, the weight will not fit past the knot.
  2. Slide the bead onto the line after the weight, so it sits between the weight and where the knot will be.
  3. Tie the 2/0 to the line with an improved clinch knot, leaving about 18 inches of line to rig the bait on.
  4. Push the hook point into the nose of the bait, and feed it through until the hook eye sits flush with the surface of the bait.
  5. Pull the point out of the bait, then fold the bait back over the shank so the point is barely exposed. That barely-weedless setup is the whole point of the rig.
  6. Run your thumb along the bait: you should feel a slight bump, not a sharp point.
  7. Cast, let the weight settle, and work the bait with small lifts and long pauses rather than a steady drag.

Weed edges, grass, laydowns, brush, rock, and any cover where a bait with an exposed point gets hung up.

The bullet weight slides, so the rig is not a precision bottom-contact setup: the bait and the weight do not travel as one unit.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. Components, sizes, and steps are the Texas rig guide's. The 1/16 to 3/4 oz weight range is the guide's own range, and 1/4 oz is its workhorse example.

Wacky rigFreshwater

A stick bait hooked through the middle so both ends move, which is what a falling soft plastic needs to look alive.

Clear, open freshwater where the bait should fall slowly on a slack line.

What you need

  • Line10 lb fluorocarbon
  • Wacky hookWacky hook, size 1/0
  • Stick bait5 in (your bait)

How it goes together

  1. Tie the Wacky hook, size 1/0 on with an improved clinch knot, and leave the hook free of any weight.
  2. Slide the O-ring over the middle of the stick bait.
  3. Pass the hook point under the O-ring so it crosses the middle of the bait.
  4. Pass the hook through the middle of the bait, so both halves hang free.
  5. Cast, let the bait fall on a slack line, and watch the line rather than the bait.
  6. When the line ticks or starts moving off, reel down and lift.

Open water, docks, and sparse cover where the bait can fall without being hung up. The soft plastics guide names open water as the wacky rig's home.

The wacky rig is an open-water rig. In dense vegetation the reviewed answer is the Texas rig.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. The guide supports the open-water wacky rig and the O-ring as a way to keep the plastic on. The weed-guard variant is written but held back until a guide covers guarded wacky hooks.

Drop shotFreshwater

The weight sits at the end of the line and the bait hangs above it on a short loop, so the bait can move without dragging the weight.

Finesse soft-plastic fishing in open water, cold water, and pressured fish.

What you need

  • Line6 lb fluorocarbon
  • Drop shot hookSize 2, hung on a loop 12 in above the weight
  • Drop shot weight0.25 oz, tied to the end of the line
  • Soft plasticyour bait, 2 to 5 in

How it goes together

  1. Tie the drop shot weight to the very end of the line with a Palomar knot.
  2. Measure up the line 12 in from the weight. That is where the hook will hang.
  3. Double the line back on itself and wrap it around the standing line three or four times to make the drop shot loop.
  4. Pass the hook eye through the loop, so the hook can slide a little but cannot pull free.
  5. Rig the soft plastic on the hook, nose first, until the hook eye sits at the surface of the bait.
  6. Hold the line up and check the presentation: the weight hangs at the bottom, the bait hangs free above it, and the two do not touch.
  7. Cast, let the weight hit bottom, then take up the slack and hold the rod still. The bait does the work.

Open water over flat or muddy bottoms, cold-water holding spots, and deep structure where fish are suspended close to the bottom.

The site's own guide is written around 2 to 8 feet of water and says a long drop shot is unwieldy past 15 feet. Deeper use is documented by the reviewed Take Me Fishing reference, so the tool offers it with the longer drop lengths and heavier weights that go with it.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. Sizes and steps are the guide's. The depth framing was reviewed against Take Me Fishing before the tool offered water deeper than 15 feet; the guide's own shallow-water advice is kept in the limitation text.

Carolina rigFreshwater

An egg sinker slides above a swivel, and a leader trails the bait behind it, so the weight and the bait travel as two separate things.

Freshwater bass fishing along the bottom, especially along break lines and in gentle current.

What you need

  • Main line15 lb fluorocarbon
  • Egg sinker0.5 oz, threaded on above the swivel and free to slide
  • Barrel swivelstops the sinker and separates the leader
  • Leader24 in of the same line, to a hook
  • HookEWG offset, 3/0
  • Soft plasticLarge, 5 to 7 in (your bait)

How it goes together

  1. Thread the egg sinker onto the main line so it can slide freely, then slide the bead on after it.
  2. Thread the egg sinker onto the main line so it can slide freely.
  3. Tie the main line to one eye of the barrel swivel with an improved clinch knot. The swivel is what stops the sinker.
  4. Tie the leader to the other eye of the swivel, also with a clinch knot. If you leave the swivel out, join the leader to the main line with a surgeon's knot.
  5. Tie the EWG offset, 3/0 to the end of the leader, and rig the bait as you would on a Texas rig.
  6. Cast, let the sinker reach bottom, then drag the weight a few inches and stop. The bait trails behind and settles after the weight does.
  7. Watch the line where it enters the water: most bites show as the line loading up rather than a tap.

Break lines, points, deep structure, and the cold-water holding spots the bass temperature guide points to.

A sliding weight and a long leader take the feel of the bottom away, so this is not the rig to learn what the bottom is made of.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. Freshwater use and the bottom presentation come from the lake reading and bass temperature guides. The component order and sinker sizing are the site's saltwater Carolina, which the spec says must stay a separate template. The freshwater leader range is the piece an editor should confirm.

Slip sinker rigFreshwater

An egg sinker slides on the main line above a bead and a swivel, so a bottom feeder can take the bait and move off without feeling the weight.

Catfish and other bottom feeders from the bank, in still water and in current.

What you need

  • Main line12 lb mono
  • Egg sinker1 oz, sliding freely on the main line
  • Barrel swivelstops the sinker and separates the leader
  • Leader18 in of 15 to 20 lb monofilament
  • Circle hookCircle, 4/0
  • Baityour bait

How it goes together

  1. Slide the bead onto the main line first, so it ends up against the knot at the top.
  2. Thread the egg sinker onto the main line. It has to slide: that is the whole point of the rig.
  3. Tie the main line to one eye of the barrel swivel. The swivel is the stop the sinker runs into.
  4. Tie the 18 in leader to the other eye of the swivel.
  5. Tie the Circle, 4/0 to the end of the leader with a Palomar knot.
  6. Bait up with your bait, cast, and let the sinker settle on the bottom before you set the rod down.
  7. A catfish taking the bait moves off with it: the line comes tight against nothing, so give it a moment before you pick the rod up.

Rivers, lakes, and ponds from the bank, near structure and in the deeper holes catfish work after dark.

A sliding rig gives up contact with the bottom, and circle hooks need the fish to be moving away: a bait that is picked up and dropped in place will not hook itself.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. The rig order, sizes, and baits are the catfish guide's, cross-checked against the live-bait guide's sliding-sinker bottom rig. One conflict is recorded in the weight guidance: 1 to 3 oz in the catfish guide, a quarter to a half ounce in the still-lake line of the live-bait guide.

Fish finder rigSaltwater

A sliding sinker above a swivel, with a leader and a circle hook out behind it, so a surf or pier fish can pick the bait up and move without feeling the weight.

Saltwater shore and pier bait fishing on the bottom.

What you need

  • Main line30 lb braid
  • SinkerPyramid, 4 oz, sliding on the line
  • Beadbetween the sinker and the swivel
  • Barrel swivelstops the sinker and separates the leader
  • Leader24 in of 30 lb fluorocarbon
  • Circle hookOctopus circle, 5/0
  • Baityour bait

How it goes together

  1. Thread the sinker onto the main line so it slides freely.
  2. Slide the bead on after the sinker, then tie the main line to one eye of the barrel swivel.
  3. Tie the 24 in leader to the other eye of the swivel.
  4. Tie the Octopus circle, 5/0 to the end of the leader with a Palomar knot.
  5. Bait up with your bait and cast. In the surf, aim for the edge of a trough or a cut rather than the open beach.
  6. Let the sinker settle and take the slack out, then wait on the rod rather than holding it.
  7. When the rod loads and stays loaded, reel down and let the circle hook turn. Do not strike.

Surf troughs, cuts, and the edge of sandbars, and from a pier over a sandy or shelly bottom.

This rig puts the bait on the bottom. Fish that are holding higher in the water column need a float or a lure, not a bigger weight.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. Every size and the assembly order come from the surf and pier guides. The three-way swivel variant is written but held back until the pier guide's bottom rig is reviewed as its own assembly.

Popping cork rigSaltwater

A cork that splashes on the retrieve, holding a bait or a plastic below it at a set depth over a flat.

Saltwater inshore fishing over flats and around estuary structure.

What you need

  • Leader24 in of 20 lb fluorocarbon
  • Circle hookCircle, 1/0
  • Baityour bait

How it goes together

  1. Tie the Circle, 1/0 to the end of the 24 in leader with a Palomar knot.
  2. Bait the hook with your bait, threading it so the point stays just clear of the shell.
  3. Cast past the piece of flat you want to work, so the cork lands quietly and the bait falls below it.
  4. Pop the cork once with a short snap of the rod tip, then let it sit for a beat.
  5. Pop, pause, pop. The pause is when the bait looks hurt, and it is the moment most fish take it.
  6. When the cork disappears or the line cuts sideways, reel down and lift. The circle hook does the rest.

Inshore flats, grass edges, and estuary points where a cork can be popped over the top of a bait.

The cork is a surface tool: it fishes a bait just under the surface and it makes noise, so it is the wrong choice for fish holding deep, or for water too rough to read a cork in.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. Assembly reviewed against the site's saltwater float-rig context and the spec's external reference. This is the thinnest coverage in the catalog: the site has no popping-cork guide of its own, so an editor should publish one and re-derive the defaults before the first full flat season.

Jighead and soft plasticFreshwater and Saltwater

A soft plastic threaded on a weighted jighead, cast out and swum back: one assembly, no separate hook to match.

Cast-and-retrieve fishing in fresh and salt water.

What you need

  • Line8 lb mono
  • Jighead0.125 oz, one assembly with the hook
  • Soft plasticGrub or tube

How it goes together

  1. Tie the jighead on with an improved clinch knot, or the Palomar if the line is braid.
  2. Thread the soft plastic onto the jighead so it sits straight and the hook exits through the top of the bait.
  3. Cast, count the bait down, then swim it back with the rod tip rather than the reel.
  4. Vary the retrieve: a steady swim, then a lift and fall, is usually enough to work out what the fish want.
  5. When you feel weight rather than a tap, sweep the rod up and keep reeling.

Docks, rock walls, bridge pilings, and flats: anywhere a cast can be made and counted down along structure.

A jighead is exposed: it hangs in weeds and timber the way a Texas rig does not. In cover, the reviewed answer is a weedless rig.

Reviewed 2026-10-02 by CastDepth editorial, revision 1. The three ways to fish a stick bait, including the jig head, are the soft plastics guide's. Weights follow the crappie and panfish guides' light-jig advice.