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j8000

The value of the roll cast

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How much do you value the roll cast? I would say 90% of where I fish, the shrubs, trees ect. are so bad and close to the streams and lake shores that I use the roll cast more than any other cast. In fact, really the only time I use anything with a back swing is if I'm in a boat/raft or in one of my few "Fly fishing spots." However, my favorite spot like this at my favorite lake is underwater still due to all the snow/rain our area had this winter/spring.

 

But you know what? In most of the Roll cast only spots, distance isn't much of a necessity.

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++ on previous comments.

 

There are of course down sides. Most can't roll cast worth a darn with large, air resistant flies (deer hair bugs for example.) Head on winds can beat the cast down. Sink tips can be demanding. And shooting line off of a roll cast is an advanced skill.

 

One other positive feature of the roll cast is that mastering it is a gateway skill for spey and skagit casting as the immediate set up stage for the actual casts is virtually the same 'D loop'.

 

Rocco

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Well good. I had always wondered about that. Most books I read don't talk about roll casting much, thought I might be a nut for fishing with the roll cast more than any other way.

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Always handy to have an extra tool in the box.

For me, a large part of fly-fishing is the act of casting the line.

Never tire of the challenge and fun, that.

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We have pretty hard winds here in Southern Colorado, so a roll cast is pretty much the only way to cast with the wind. Though we have a few calm days. But I use roll casts most of the time with the wind.

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Since I fish from a boat 95% of the time, I use a roll cast about 5% of the time. It's a handy tool, and as stated previously, a necessary one for tight areas.

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I use roll or single hand spey casts easily more than half the time in pretty much every fishing situation. In fact I buy all my lines with roll casting in mind, lines like the airflo river and stream (delta taper), wulff triangle taper, and rio single hand spey line. That rio single hand spey line is awesome by the way, both as a roll casting and an overhead line.

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My home stream has two personalities. In the open areas back casts are possible and roll cast are not necessary. However, there are many areas of the stream where there are trees, bushes and steep banks behind me so roll casts are the only way to go. One difference is that the stream is wide in certain productive spots so long roll casts (as far as you can make them) are required; the bigger fish tend to hold near the far bank.

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"the bigger fish tend to hold near the far bank"

 

Oh yes! and the prettier girls always live across town, you always have the wrong credentials for the job you really want, the cop pulls you over ignoring the guy who blew your doors off, and finesses never work for you in bridge!

 

BTDT.

 

Rocco

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Except for dry fly fishing, you can fish all day with just a roll cast. I don't know why we don't teach it more, I guess because it's just not as sexy. With a little practice, and maybe a bit of coaching, you should be able to roll cast 35' to 50', and that should be far enough to catch most fish.

 

When we did a casting contest at our TU club, I included a 30' roll cast, that no one, other than myself, could come close to. One of the guys (a good overhead caster) even argued that one can't roll cast that far on dry ground. Of course, I then showed him a 35' roll cast to the target, and followed it with a 45' roll cast, which left him scratching his head. Apparently, no one had ever taught him how to roll cast properly, and he though that 15' to 20' was the limit.

 

There are a lot of subtilties in good roll casting. You have to pay attention to where your fly is relative to where you want it to go, but it's not really that hard to master, if you are willing to practice.

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