I want to be a great roll caster

[herefishy]

Do I need a great rod? Or a great line? Or just practice practice practice? if a rod or line will help, do you have a favorite?

[tailingloop]

Some rod/line combinations work better for some people than others however Practice is the key. But also investigate working with a good instructor. A good instructor can quickly help identify bad habits or flaws in your technique so you will be able to practice more effectively. One way to find one is through the FFF certified instructor listings. You may need to travel a bit. I see there are a number of instructors listed in Albaqueque. None in west Texas. A person doesn't have to be FFF certified to be a good instructor, but the FFF does have the online resource to help find an instructor. Fly shops or clubs are another source for instructor references. Another option is to buy one of the better instructional DVDs - or even two or three. Or even You Tube - but I see a lot of not so good instruction there as well as some good instruction.

[Don_P]

Roll cast starts at 16:00 mark.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv9hU3aqsrs

[herefishy]

Thanks, will try youtube first.

[FishnDave]

I've never tried a DT line, but have been told they are much easier to roll-cast. Perhaps folks with experience can chime in on this?

[tailingloop]

I've never tried a DT line, but have been told they are much easier to roll-cast. Perhaps folks with experience can chime in on this?

If you look at the taper profiles for fly lines from the manufacturers you will find that in most cases, if a line comes in both a WF and DT version, the tapers will be about the same until you get into the back taper of the WF line. This will typically be somewhere between 32 and 38 ft. So they will generally cast the same out to that distance. Beyond that you may find a DT easier to roll cast due to the thicker mid section.

[deathb4disco]

[sagefisher]

I got to thinking about roll casting, something that I use every so often and I fish with a variety of rod actions and lengths. I will roll cast with any of them but I just never really thought about what would be the best rod and line for roll casting.

So, I asked a friend of mine who is a certified casting instructor and this is what he had to say.

Regarding rod action, the best choice for most casters is a medium fast rod. The casting stroke for a roll cast is short and few people can get enough loading done in that limited space using a really fast (stiff) rod. On the slow side, few people can keep the desired straight line path for the rod tip with a soft rod.

Regarding rod length, the longer the rod the better so long as there is enough space available to accommodate the length.

It is also very important to consider the fly line as it impacts the roll cast!

Energy is transferred to the fly line through a combination of energy from the loaded rod and energy from the forward movement of the rod during the casting stroke. Relative to overhead casting, roll casting depends more on the energy from the loaded rod. The weight of the fly line in the D-Loop is a very significant factor in loading the fly rod. That is why the longer rod works better for roll casting.

Regarding the fly line, as the length of the cast increases, the weight of line in a WF line will decrease for the D-Loop unless the amount of line shot is increased. A DT line may work better for some applications. Best of all though would be to consider a taper specifically designed for roll casting. Simon Gawesworth has designed such a line for Rio called the InTouch Single Handed Spey line. It maximizes the weight of line available for the D-Loop.

I hope this helps to answer some of your questions.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[randyflycaster]

A so-called jump roll will help you cast farther. The cast, in my mind, is basically a touch-and-go spey cast, a cast used by Scandinavian-style spey casters. Also, it's important that you begin your forward cast before slack weakens the d-loop. Some good casters feel that the way to keep slack out of their d-loop is to start the forward cast just before the fly stops moving towards you. Finally, to maintain line tension on the fly rod, I hold the line against the handle with my finger. Then, when I abruptly stop the rod on my forward cast, I let the line go. A downward haul will also maintain line tension.

Randy

[john_in]

I spent quite some time to figure that out. I hope you can learn single-handed speying rather than roll casting.