Roll Cast

[huskertko]

How do you do it?

[justtrying]

i fished using a "roll cast" years ago, but didn't know the proper name for it til i saw Jimmy Houston do it on tv.

watch jimmy fish a spinner bait & you'll see him "roll" his hand over & release the bait while his hand is under the rod.  he, in effect, just "shoots" the bait off the end of the rod into a tight spot.

after doing it for a little while, it becomes second nature. try it yourself & you'll find yourself "roll casting" lots of times to speed up casting time & to get cast in particular spot.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

The only "roll casting" I know of is done with a fly rod.  Raise the rod slowly till it's 100% vertical and then you throw the tip down quick making a huge loop with the line that rolls forward and gently plops the fly down.

[Rebbasser]

I this is what I'm thinking of, you start with your rod tip low to the water with the bait hanging maybe 4 inches below. Move the rod tip in a small, quick circle and when the rod tip is at the bottom of the arc let the lure go. As you start the downward arc turn your wrist out so the handle is pointing at the water. The wrist turn gives added power to the cast, and the lure will shoot of the rod tip. It takes a little practice to get your timing down, but it is very effective for short casts in tight areas.

[ernel]

A roll cast is nothing more than an underhand cast. Imagine drawing a circle with the rod tip off to your side while making a cast. That is the basic mechanics.

[basser89]

I've been using the roll cast for a couple years now. It's basically an outside roll of the wrist, rolling your wrist out and then down around (hope this makes sense!).  When your wrist hits the bottom of the roll, you'll want to release the bait. Ideally, your bait will travel just above the surface and when you reach your target, gently thumb the spool (slowing the bait down) and roll your wrist the rest of the way through to make the bait gently land. A perfect cast will leave a very small, if not any, ripple on the water! It took a ton of practice in the back yard! Just a word of advice, don't try making a 20 or 30 yard cast right off the bat! Work short casts and try and get the mechanics down first! Once your comfortable with the mechanics, with a few small adjustments to your reel, the distance will come! Hope this helps!

[Minuteman]

On ESPN2 Friday (9/16) morning they had the 85 and 86 Classics highlights. Jimmy Houston was in the running and they highlighted the Roll Cast a bit. I've used it without thinking when my wrist gets a little sore to mix it up a bit.