One of the top fly fishing techniques is roll casting, which we introduced you to last time. The single handed roll cast technique is the exact opposite of what you use for straight line casts. It depend almost entirely on a fast, snappy wrist action.
First you form a "D" loop by tilted the rod at a suitable angle away from the body, and extending your arm somewhat. Then draw your arm back towards your body by compressing the biceps muscles. At the same time sweep the rod backwards using wrist action and turn in a loop. This is the position you will accelerate into the power stroke.
This pear shaped loop stops the rearward motion of the line and allows the leader and the tip of the line to alight on the surface of the water. This in turn provides an anchor for the power stroke. Unless the line is properly anchored the energy from the power stroke will be discharged immediately What will happen at this point is that the fly will whiplash violently, and put you in danger. A slight mistime may cause whiplash but not necessarily a serious one. But you’ll certainly hear it, which signals that you should hesitate to ensure the "D" loop is correctly formed. Then you can complete the cast.
A well executed roll cast in fly fishing sends the line high, straight and true away from you, and is quite similar to an overhead cast.
