How We Write Knot and Rig Guides: Sources, Diagrams and What We Don't Claim
Every number on Dockrig comes from 1 of 3 places. It's a maker's spec chart, a published knot reference, or a calculator we publish here. If a number fits none of those, it stays off the page. When all we have is a range, we print the range.
That rule covers 31 launch pages: 17 knot pages and 13 rig pages, plus this one. Here's how each piece gets made.
Where our numbers come from
We sort sources by what they can prove. There are 5 kinds.
- Line diameter: the maker's own chart. We copy it from the product page and keep a dated snapshot. The big number on the box is not a diameter.
- Knot steps: published knot references. Animated Knots is the one we cite most. Where a line or hook maker prints its own steps, we check against those too.
- Turn and wrap counts: the range that published instructions give for that knot. We print the range, not a single "right" count.
- Hook sizes, weights and leader lengths: common ranges for the rig, labeled as ranges. Hook sizes also vary by brand, so we say that on every chart.
- Rules and limits: never ours. We link to your state fish and wildlife agency instead.
Labels are a known weak spot. Two retailer pages for the same PowerPro Spectra braid list 10 lb at .005 in. and at .006 in. Both cite the maker. So every diameter table names the chart it came from, and the date we read it.
How the calculators work
Our calculators do arithmetic on stated assumptions. They don't measure anything. Each table on the site lists its assumptions right above it, under "Our assumptions," so you can swap in your own numbers.
The Palomar line-use calculator is the model for the rest:
- Bight length = what passes through the loop + 2 in. to tie the overhand.
- Line used per tie = 2 × bight + 0.5 in. trimmed on a retie.
- Reties per leader = (leader length − 18 in.) ÷ line per tie, rounded down.
With a 1 in. hook that gives 6.5 in. per tie. A 36 in. leader then allows 2 reties. After that you're at the 18 in. floor. Change the floor and the table changes with it.
Other pages use the same pattern. The swivel page assumes 6 in. of tag for a wrap knot.
The bobber stop page sets the stop at water depth minus the bait's height off the bottom. In 10 ft of water, 1 ft off the bottom means a stop 9 ft above the hook. The braid-to-leader tables divide 1 maker diameter by another.
Every table is rerun by script before a page goes live. If the script and the page disagree by even 0.001 in., the page waits.
What we don't claim
We leave 5 things out on purpose.
- No knot-strength percentages.. Results depend on line, tying and test method, and we don't run a test bench.
- No fishing stories. Cal Brannock is a pen name for our editors. There are no days on the water behind it, and we won't pretend there are.
- No product verdicts. Our gear pages group items by parameter and by the rig they suit, not by rank.
- No regulation advice. Hook limits, lead rules and seasons differ by state and by water. Check your agency.
- No prices or ratings. They change too fast and they aren't ours to judge.
Diagrams
We draw every step diagram ourselves. They're SVG files, made from the same step data as the text. No stock photos, no screenshots of other people's work, no embedded clips.
The drawings follow 4 rules:
- One diagram per real step. A 2-step knot gets 2 drawings, not 4.
- Fixed colors. Standing line is dark ink, the tag is orange, the loop is blue. Labels carry the meaning too, so color isn't the only cue.
- Counts come from the data. If the spec card says 6 turns, the drawing shows 6 coils.
- Every label in a drawing also appears in the page text. A script checks this.
Line thickness in step drawings is the same for every line, for clarity. Only line-type comparison drawings are drawn to scale.
AI assistance and editing
Pages are drafted with AI assistance. An editor then checks each step against the knot or rig source we cite. Every length, count and diameter gets rerun through the calculators described above.
The editor also cuts filler. If a sentence doesn't help you tie a knot or build a rig, it goes. A 2-step knot gets a short page. That's fine.
Corrections log
Found a mistake? Email contact@dockrig.com. Tell us the page, the number and your source. We'll check it against the chart or reference and fix the page if we got it wrong.
Each fix gets a line here with the date, the page and what changed.
- 2026-10-11: first 31 pages published. No corrections yet.
Sources: Animated Knots knot pages. PowerPro Spectra and Seaguar InvizX charts on Tackle Warehouse product pages. The PowerPro chart on FishUSA, for the label comparison. Read the knots hub or the rigs hub to see the method applied.