TackleCalc is a free set of reference calculators for recreational anglers. Every recommendation is generated from published tackle specifications: rod power-to-lure-weight ratings, line diameter charts, hook size standards and reel capacity figures.
We built it because the answer to "what weight should I use" shouldn't require a forum thread and three conflicting opinions. The calculators combine three constraints at once — what your rod can cast, what your line can handle, and what your target fish eats — and show where they agree.
TackleCalc is an independent reference site for recreational anglers, maintained by Jian Yuan, based in Weihai, China. One person is responsible for every page, every formula and every correction, and there is no editorial team behind it. When a number here is wrong, it is his mistake, and it is his to fix.
He is not a tournament angler writing from personal catch records. Every figure on this site is built from published tackle specifications, standard unit conversions and the arithmetic set out on the methodology page, and each one is checked before it goes up.
The site exists to answer three questions that come up again and again when you are choosing tackle: what weight will this rod cast, what line does this reel actually hold, and how much does a fish of this length weigh. Each calculator here answers one of them with published specifications instead of opinion.
Every formula on TackleCalc comes from one of three sources, and each page states which one applies:
Where a guideline is a rule of thumb rather than a physical law, we label it as one. Leader length as a share of main line strength is a convention, not a constant, and the pages say so.
The gear pages are written from specifications and published testing, not from hands-on reviews of every product. Where we recommend a category, the recommendation is about the specification to look for — power, action, diameter, capacity — rather than a claim to have fished with a specific item. That distinction matters, and we would rather state it plainly than imply experience we do not have.
Calculator logic is based on published manufacturer ratings and widely accepted industry conventions. Where a rule of thumb exists (for example, leader length as a share of main line strength), we say so explicitly instead of dressing it up as a law of physics.
TackleCalc is reader-supported. Some links to recommended gear are affiliate links. This never changes a calculation — the calculators work exactly the same whether or not you buy anything. Full affiliate disclosure.
Most fishing advice is written as prose: "use 10 to 15 lb line for bass." That sentence is hard to act on without knowing your rod rating, your water and your lure weight. A calculator forces the question to be answered with the numbers you actually have, and it shows which of those numbers moved the answer. The tradeoff is that no calculator can tell you what feels right on the water. That part is still yours.
It is not a tackle shop, it does not sell gear, and no brand pays for placement in a result. Some buying guides link to retailers through affiliate programs, which is disclosed on every page that carries one, but that relationship does not change a formula or a recommendation. It is also not a review site: nothing here was measured in a laboratory, and every figure traces back to a published specification or a standard conversion factor.
Every page carries a last reviewed date. When a manufacturer changes a published specification, or when a correction comes in, the affected page is reworked and the date moves with it. Shared tables — line diameters, hook sizes, knot efficiency figures — are held in one place and corrected everywhere at once, so two pages never disagree just because one was updated and the other was not. Corrections go into the page itself, in line with the policy below.
If a formula, a chart or a product specification on this site is wrong, tell us and we will correct it. Email the contact address on this site with the page and the number you believe is incorrect, and include the source you are working from. Corrections are made to the page itself, not buried in a comment.
Disclaimer: The numbers on this page are estimates based on published specifications and standard formulas. Real-world results vary with brand, gear condition and how the equipment is set up. TackleCalc is an independent reference site and is not affiliated with any manufacturer. Nothing here replaces the instructions that come with your own gear.