Introducing the Going Fishing Rig Builder – Build Better Pole Float Rigs

Getting your pole float rigs right can make a real difference to your fishing. Whether you're targeting F1s, carp or silver fish, the way you shot your float influences how your bait behaves, how your rig settles and how clearly you see bites.

But building rigs isn't always as straightforward as it sounds.

Different floats require different amounts of weight, manufacturers produce different sizes of shot and Stotz, and the positioning of those weights can change how a rig performs.

Then there's the practical problem of fitting everything onto your rig-building platform.

That's why we've developed the Going Fishing Rig Builder, a free online tool designed to take some of the guesswork out of building pole float rigs.

What Does the Rig Builder Do?

The Rig Builder allows you to select the components you want to use and generates a set of rig-building instructions based on your choices.

You can select:

Float manufacturer, model and size – choose from the floats available in our database.
Rig line – select your preferred manufacturer, product and diameter.
Shotting pattern – decide how you want your rig to behave.
Weight manufacturer and type – choose the shot or Stotz you want to use.
Rig-building platform – enter the distance between the pins on your rig-building station.

Once you've made your selections, click Calculate Rig.

The Rig Builder looks for a matching shotting recipe and calculates the weights and positions required for your chosen float.

Five Shotting Patterns

We've started with five practical shotting patterns, each intended for a different presentation.

Spread Bulk

A series of weights distributed along the line, allowing the rig to settle progressively. The Rig Builder uses a preferred spacing of 65 mm and can group weights more closely when the available platform space requires it.

Bulk

A compact group of weights, positioned at 20 mm intervals. A straightforward arrangement for getting the rig down to its working depth.

Bulk + 1

A bulk of shot with one separate dropper positioned closer to the hooklength connection. This gives the angler a different presentation from a simple bulk arrangement.

Bulk + 2

A bulk of shot with two separate droppers. This is a useful arrangement when you want more control over how the lower part of the rig settles.

Bulk Under Float

Designed for shallow fishing, this pattern positions Stotz directly beneath the float stem.

It's restricted to floats with a capacity of 0.300 g or less and uses Stotz rather than conventional shot, allowing the weights to be moved along the line when adjusting the rig.

These are our starting patterns. They cover a useful range of pole-fishing situations without making the Rig Builder unnecessarily complicated.

It Tells You Exactly Where to Put the Shot

One of the most useful features is that the Rig Builder doesn't simply tell you how much shot to use.

It tells you where to put each weight.

For conventional shotting patterns, positions are measured from the hooklength connection towards the float.

For Bulk Under Float, positions are measured downwards from the float stem.

The results include a table showing each weight, its position in millimetres and whether it forms part of the bulk, a dropper or the group beneath the float.

That means you can take the instructions to your rig-building station and reproduce the arrangement without having to work out the spacing yourself.

Will It Fit Your Rig-Building Platform?

This is a feature we particularly wanted to include.

Not everybody builds rigs using the same equipment.

Some anglers use a commercial rig-building station, while others use a homemade board with two pins or nails.

The important measurement isn't the total length of the fishing rig. It's the distance between the pins on the platform you're using to build it.

The Rig Builder takes that distance into account when calculating the shotting arrangement.

It allows space for the float, calculates the length required for the shotting pattern and tells you how much clearance remains.

If the calculated arrangement exceeds the available distance, the Rig Builder will tell you.

We currently use a working allowance of 185 mm for the float, so anglers should still check the physical dimensions of their chosen float when building a rig.

Using Real Shot and Stotz Weights

Not all shot carrying the same size number weighs exactly the same.

A No.9 from one manufacturer may have a different recorded weight from a No.9 made by another.

Our database contains manufacturer-specific weights, allowing the Rig Builder to calculate recipes using the recorded weights for the selected products.

This is particularly useful when building rigs for smaller floats, where relatively small differences in weight can matter.

The Rig Builder calculates the total weight of the selected shotting recipe and displays the individual weights and quantities used.

As always, it's worth checking the finished rig in water before taking it fishing. Float markings and actual buoyancy can vary, and the tool is intended to help you build a sound starting arrangement rather than replace final adjustment.

Free to Use – With More Features Coming

The Going Fishing Rig Builder is available to use now, free of charge.

You don't need to register or log in to calculate a rig.

However, we're already planning additional functionality for anglers who create a free Going Fishing account and log in.

The next stage of development will introduce a personal Rig Library, allowing registered users to save their rig configurations, return to them later and retrieve the details when they want to build another rig.

We also plan to provide the ability to manage saved rigs, making it easier to maintain a collection of favourite configurations.

These features aren't available just yet, but they're firmly on our development list.

Give the Rig Builder a Try

The Rig Builder has been developed around practical pole-fishing methods and the realities of building rigs at home.

It's not intended to tell you there's only one correct way to shot a float. Different conditions, venues and personal preferences will always influence how anglers choose to fish.

Instead, it provides a consistent, repeatable starting point for building rigs using your chosen components and shotting patterns.

Whether you're preparing a collection of rigs for the coming season, replacing a favourite float or experimenting with a different shotting arrangement, we hope you'll find it useful.

Try the Going Fishing Rig Builder

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