TIPS & TRICKS · CASTING

The Roll Cast

The very first cast for the youngest hands. No backcast, no brush to snag - just load the line on the water and roll it forward.

THE TIP

Roll It, Don’t Throw It

When there are trees behind you, or the angler is six years old, a backcast is the enemy. The roll cast skips it entirely. You let the water grip the line, lift to form a D-shaped loop of line beside you, and roll the rod forward to send it back out. It is the short stroke and squeeze you already know, just with the water doing the loading for you.

Start with line on the water. Strip out 15 to 20 feet of line and let it lay on the surface in front of you. The water’s grip on that line is what loads the rod - no backcast required.

Lift slow to 1 o’clock. Raise the rod smoothly and slightly back until your hand is by your ear and the rod sits near 1 o’clock. A belly of line should sag down behind the rod in a D shape. That D-loop is your power.

Pause and let the D-loop form. Wait a half second for the line to settle into that D against the water. Rushing it is the number one roll-cast mistake. Thumb on top, elbow pinned to your ribs.

Squeeze and roll forward. Drive the rod forward in a short, crisp stroke and squeeze the grip hard, stopping high at 10 o’clock. The line rolls out in a loop across the surface toward your target.

Stop high and let it lay down. Stop the tip up, not down at the water. The loop unrolls and the leader lays out straight ahead of you. Drop the tip last to follow the line down.

JOE SAYS

“These fish don’t want the flies swinging down over them. They want a perfect natural drift.”

- Joe Humphreys, on letting the line do the work

PRACTICE THIS

Five Minutes. On Any Water.

THE 5-MINUTE DRILL

Find a pond, a puddle after rain, or even wet grass. Lay 15 feet of line out front, lift slow to 1 o’clock, watch the D-loop form beside you, then squeeze forward and stop high. Roll out 20 in a row. The goal is not distance - it is a clean loop that lays the leader straight every time. If the line piles, you rushed the pause.

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The Roll Cast Is in the First Casting Block

The roll cast is one of the five core Humphreys casts and the very first one young anglers learn. Get the full step-by-step on the casting page, with the short stroke, tuck, bow-and-arrow, and downer alongside it.

See All Five Casts

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