How to Roll Cast in Fly Fishing

Video Transcript

"I'm Steve from Denver Angler. I just showed you the basic casting motion but now I am going to show you the roll cast. One of the reasons we use the roll cast is if there is structure behind us such as trees and bushes, if it is a windy day like it is today, if we have got a lot of weight on our leaders and tippet like cay weighted flies and split shot. You have to imagine I am standing in a stream and the current is moving from my left down to my right and my fly line has ended up in the water down on my right hand side. Pull all the fly line out of the water, lock the standing line underneath your fingers, pick the fly line up, rod tip back to two o'clock, and throw it like you're throwing a ball. Now the basic roll cast is easy for me. I'm right handed and the fly line ended up on my right hand side but if I'm standing in a stream where the current is moving from my right down to my left then my fly line ends up in the water on my left hand side. It is still the basic roll cast but I take the rod tip back to two o'clock and then I cast it over my head. That's the basic roll cast when the line ends up on my left hand side."