The roll cast is the third in a series of unknown casting commentaries. Ever have a hard time trying to get a lure under a dock, between some over hanging tree branches and the water, or just reduce the time your bait is out of the water...

The roll cast is the third in a series of unknown casting commentaries.

Ever have a hard time trying to get a lure under a dock, between some over hanging tree branches and the water, or just reduce the time your bait is out of the water? Perfecting the roll cast is a great resource to use and help improve your time on the water.

A roll cast can be any number of styles but consists basically of rolling the wrist of the hand that you are casting with and should be strong enough to swing the lure completely around the rod tip with the release staged to direct the trajectory of the lure towards your target. When practicing this technique be prepared to watch your lure go from just a few inches in front of your feet to trying to achieve orbit and landing anywhere in between. However once mastered you will have the uncanny ability to quietly slip your lure into the water under over hangs, under docks or to just to increase your casting speed while moving in and out of cypress tree filled lakes or other close quarters while on the water.

As always practice is the key to success, but the two biggest things to master is wrist roll and thumb control. The roll helps propel and direct the cast to the target and thumb control helps slow the lure just before impact so it can slip below the water surface without disturbing your prey. What you have to do is build muscle memory so each cast is consistent so the aim and entry can be refined; the only way to do this is repetitive motion so the cast becomes second nature.

Once perfected a roll cast will provide an added tool for those spots where an over hand, pitch or flipping cast are less then perfect or takes unnecessary time to present the lure effectively; giving you an additional option to help put the lure of choice in front of more fish on any given day. Now when fishing a vibrashock, spinnerbait, trap or any number of search baits, I can transition from retrieve to cast in one smooth motion by lifting the bait out of the water with about three foot of line between tip and lure, roll the lure around the rod, launch the bait at my next target and continue the retrieve. This allows me to continue searching for the next target and increases the amount of casts I’m able to make throughout the day effectively placing my lure in front of more fish and upping the odds of finding more active fish.

See You on the Water
Ronald S. Fogelson
Forum Admin for Ultimatebass.com