I want to be a great roll caster

[john_in]

I experimented with all kinds of rods and lines. My conclusion is that it doesn't matter that much, as long as you get the roll cast right.
I use 8'5 long medium fast rod and regular fly line.

You can roll cast with any length rod and the appropriate line for that rod. All depends on how far you want to roll cast and how big (wind resistance) and heavy the fly is going to be. If your timing is correct, you should be able to roll cast farther with a longer rod (think spey fishers and their very long rods) and a heavier rod/line combination will handle larger and heavier flies. But, just how far do you want to roll cast? There comes a time when normal casting will get you out there a whole heck of a lot farther than a roll cast. The roll cast is a very specific type of cast used mostly in very specific situations.

Go with what you have, learn the timing and technique, then you will be able to make a good roll cast with almost any rod.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[deathb4disco]

Roll cast length is directly tied to rod length. It is the length of line that hangs between the rod tip and the water that power is applied to, the more there is, the more energy can be applied to the line. This length equates to the length of the backcast on an overhead cast. The more line a caster can carry, the longer the cast, all else being equal.
Softer rods are usually an advantage also. The more a rod bends during a cast the faster the tip will be going when the loop forms, again, all else being equal. In a roll cast there is relatively little line to make the rod bend, a slower rod will bend more making the cast easier, and usually longer. Spey casters certainly know this, they use the longest rods around, and most are slow compared to single hand rods.

Of course, technique is more important than either rod length or stiffness. A good caster with a stiff 7 footer will probably roll cast farther than a beginner with a soft 9 footer.
Bruce

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...d-Length/page2

Most DT and WF lines have very similar front tapers, there is no generalization that can be made regarding tapers that would be accurate. Some DTs have short tapers, some long, as do WFs. Assuming that a DT and WF line have the same taper, they will cast exactly the same until the rear taper of the WF line is out of the rod tip. There is no way anyone could tell the difference between these lines except that the WF caster would be holding smaller line in his hand than the DT caster.

The 30 ft. length is often mentioned when talking about roll casting WFs. This length means nothing in most cases, except that it is the length measured. Nearly all WF lines have heads that are longer than 30 ft. Another thing to remember is that roll cast distance must include leader and rod length. A WF line with a 30 ft. head and cast with 9 ft. rod and 9 ft. leader will roll cast effectively to 48 ft. (30+9+9). So, a typical WF line with a 38 ft. head (common for a 5 wt. "trout" line)will roll cast effectively to well over 50 ft. Most casters cannot roll cast that far so it makes no difference for most anglers which taper they roll cast.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...d-really/page2