Fishing Line Calculator

Matching line and hook to the fish you're actually chasing is what separates a clean landing from a snapped leader. Feed in your target species and your fishing method, and you'll get concrete recommendations for line weight, line type, hook size, leader and lure weight, so your rig is built for the job before you ever wet a line.

The recommendations come from a fixed lookup table rather than a formula: each of six species (bass, trout, walleye, catfish, salmon and northern pike) has a set line test, line type, hook-size range, leader and lure-weight range for spinning, baitcasting and fly tackle, with fly setups given in line weights instead of pounds. Bass on spinning gear, for example, returns 8-12 lb fluorocarbon or mono, hooks from #1 to 3/0, a 10-12 lb fluorocarbon leader and 1/8 to 3/4 oz lures, while pike setups call for a wire leader (or 40 lb fluorocarbon on spinning gear) because pike teeth cut line.

Conditions and bycatch deserve a place in your thinking too. A ripping current can justify stepping up line weight even for a modestly sized fish. Anglers tend to inflate the size of what they're after, ending up with heavy, dull tackle that telegraphs every leader; guess too small, on the other hand, and you lose fish outright.