The Importance of the Roll Cast for Hucho Fishing

Any hucho shooting head can be cast overhead, but an excellent shooting head for hucho fishing should be able to transport large streamers at a good distance under difficult space conditions. Otherwise you might not be able to fish many of the good spots. For such spots you need a huchen rod that loads the bottom area of ​​the blank really well and thus generates the power for a long roll cast. It is well known that tip action rods are only suitable for overhead fishing. Provided the appropriate rod is available, your shooting head must have enough mass and the right length to catapult the streamer out of the water towards the target. The video provided shows this impressively. There is no rear space, and above me the branches of the trees under which I am standing can be seen. I use a 11.6 ft. Hucho Hunter rod as a longer rod would hit the overhead branches at such a spot. This is a spot that does not allow any overhead casts as I am standing close to the steep bank and a maximum of 1m backspace is available. A two-handed rod is necessary here, because with a one-handed rod such large streamers (here approx. 28 cm long) cannot be rolled out of the water at all.

In the video, the casting distance is approx.18 m - 20 m. Under other conditions (different spot and a change of the SH-leader ratio and rod) such large streamers can even be "rolled" a few more meters. Rolling is actually not quite the right term because the line is stretched above the water as the distance is shot in. Because of the sinking shooting head plus-T-Tip in combination with a large large streamer, underhand or switch casting do not work with such a special hucho setup (break in power transition). The leading top hand performs a long movement like in a spey cast, but in contrary to the classic spey, the distance is not achieved by repositioning a given length of line, but by letting it shoot. This is also not a Skagit cast (although it is most closely related to this way of casting). The casting of large huchen streamers requires a hybrid technique. I am deliberately speaking of a technique here, because in contrast to a style, the unity of rod, SH and streamer is a must here, because the whole system does not work with just any equipment. Smaller or lighter streamers can also be switched with a sinker, but with T-tips this is only possible to a limited extent.

Please keep in mind that for performing roll or switch casts the streamer weight is not added to the shooting head weight to match the casting weight of the rod, because the line provides the mass for transporting as the streamer is not airborne at the moment of firing.

So if you think to choose a SH weight that is already matching the upper end of the grain window of your rod to get maximum casting weight to roll the streamer then you need to be aware that if you cast the same streamer with the same line overhead, you could break your rod easily because for overhead casts the weight of the streamer needs to be added to the weight of the line!

Even a large, unweighted but wet Huchen streamer can weigh up to 15 g, depending on the construction method and the material used. In order to be able to cast such large streamers safely in both situations, the proper  equipment hast to be used and the weight should stay within the rod's grain window.

For such large streamers, which can be very successful when the water levels are high, you need the right rod (e.g. GF Hucho Hunter 925). I recommend that you keep the wet streamer weight in mind when choosing the material of your huchen streamer.