Snake Roll
The Snake Roll cast is another very useful cast to have in your armoury when fishing in a downstream wind, and your hand positions on the rod handle, in relation to the bank you are fishing from, are exactly the same as the Double Spey.
Reasons to have this cast in your armoury
This cast allows you to cover the whole pool in front of you, at any angle you wish, (upstream, across or down) much quicker than you ever could using the Double Spey cast. It will also allow you to cover a visible fish very quickly, whether it is on a lie or moving upstream when it shows.
We all know that running fish can be very difficult to tempt, but if you can present a fly to them the minute they show themselves, then you have increased the odds in your favour.
How the cast works
As with all casts, the Snake Roll cast can be used in a non wind situation, but like the Double Spey cast, if used in an upstream wind it can be very dangerous, but used in a downstream wind it is a very safe and efficient cast for all the reasons described in the Double Spey section.
As you become more familiar with this cast it can be made much more dynamic by altering the shape of the initial rotation of the rod tip, and the length of the draw back into your delivery position, thus maximizing your available casting weight.
Here is the cast in brief:
- With the rod tip pointing downstream and low to the water, lift slightly back towards the river bank, and up to 45 degrees, then rotate the rod tip in a circle towards and above your target out in the river. A clockwise circle if on the left bank and an anti-clockwise circle if on the right bank.
- When approaching the bottom of the circle in your outward rotation, draw the rod tip back into your delivery position to create your D loop in line with the direction to which you wish to cast.
- The direction of your delivery can be influenced by the size of your circle, coupled with the angle at which it rotates as you draw it back.
- Once your D loop has formed you can then deliver the cast in the conventional way.
The initial Rotation of the rod tip
You will notice that the initial rotation of your rod tip performs two important functions:
(a) It lifts your fly from the water below you and repositions your anchor placement (e.g. fly, leader, end of fly line) so it is facing the direction to which you are going to cast.
(b) It allows you to create a D loop behind your anchor point thus giving you the casting weight you require to make the cast work.
You can view a more in depth article on the Snake Roll cast on the following link: