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Freelining/Rolling

Terry Simner

Terry Simner

Senior Member & Supporter
Ok, so 'Open-season Eve' is almost upon us, and the silly season is drawing to an end (not really been silly this year, has it?:)) and I just read a (centrepin) article which strongly implied that 'rolling' (meat) was a totally different method to 'freeling' (meat).
Anyone wish to defend this assertion?
Best Wishes to you all on G16... and for your season as a whole.
ATVB
 
I wouldn't know, maybe it's whatever the author perceives each word to mean. Freelining might suggest using no weight but meat wouldn't look too natural, or would it?

Personally I've always called it "trundling". Learnt it back in the 70s from the wife of a bailiff, she used crust to catch many barbel and meat was favoured (and cheap) too. In fact anything she could scrounge off a fellow angler. Lovely lady.
 
In my opinion it is a very different concept and technique. Actually one I wrote about 15 -20 years ago on a feature on the St. Pats. Paul W's home water.

Mike Heylin(AT) had joined me for a day after his first barbel.......although he spent most of the day on the phone involved with another angling organisation at the time!!

Anyway. Be interesting to hear others views..
 
Graham Elliott said:
In my opinion it is a very different concept and technique. Actually one I wrote about 15 -20 years ago on a feature on the St. Pats. Paul W's home water.

Mike Heylin(AT) had joined me for a day after his first barbel.......although he spent most of the day on the phone involved with another angling organisation at the time!!

Anyway. Be interesting to hear others views..
Click to expand...

......so what's different then Graham (taking, as read, that the river is actually flowing, so that the bait moves with the current) ?? When is one 'rolling', and when is one 'freelining'? (and for that matter, with reference to Paul W's comment, when is one "trundling?) I can't keep up! :eek:
 
Not so long ago my mate Rod Swadling taught me and called it 'rolling'. He mostly used either no weight other than the bait or a bare minimum of shot on a stream you know very well Paul, and caught a lot of barbel in the daytime when most were fishing static baits (as I had done) after dark. However, I needed to feel more in contact with my bait and mostly used light shotting to enable me to trundle (a better description) along the bottom, often in quite fast water and a long way downstream. Thanks to Rod I too eventually began to catch my share, also in the daytime, especially during the morning when there were far fewer anglers about on what was/is a quite highly pressured fishery.
 
Must say I've also wondered this but concluded (erroneously perhaps) that if you are walking along the bank keeping in direct contact with the bait (which may or may not have some weight on the line depending on flow etc) then that's rolling. If, however, you remain in one place and allow the current to take the bait (again with some weight on the line as required) but you are not in such direct contact with the bait, then that's freelining or trundling. Either way, it's just fishing with a moving bait. Which is like trotting, but without a float.

I've had some good results bouncing. That's fishing with meat and just enough weight (I use LG shot) so it does settle on the bottom. I leave it for 30 secs or so then gently lift the bait and allow the flow to take it a little further downstream where it settles again. Bites would mainly come just as the bait resettles. You need the right kind of swim and it's great fun with a pin. Obviously this might also be rolling meat- confusing!
 
Eeeeeeeh, I definitely can't keep up now with "Bouncing" 'in the mix'! :) Yeah, I like that standing in one spot v walking downstream 'definition' Howard... so maybe 'rolling' could alternatively be called 'roving freelining'
 
Terry.
I frequently used to freeline 50 or more yards downstream in some clearish swims, weirpools or gravel runs.

No weight. Lump of meat. Releasing line under gentle pressure in smallish amounts, lifting rod as it moves further down the swim. Bites felt on the line or noted slack line.

Basically go with the flow with the bait being midstream much of the time and sometimes just below the surface.

Each cast preceded by a few meat morsals.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Terry.
I frequently used to freeline 50 or more yards downstream in some clearish swims, weirpools or gravel runs.

No weight. Lump of meat. Releasing line under gentle pressure in smallish amounts, lifting rod as it moves further down the swim. Bites felt on the line or noted slack line.

Basically go with the flow with the bait being midstream much of the time and sometimes just below the surface.

Each cast preceded by a few meat morsals.
Click to expand...

Yes Gra, I know....I've been doing it since the 60's! I just wanted to know how 'Rolling' differed for freelining.
 
Paul Whiteing said:
I wouldn't know, maybe it's whatever the author perceives each word to mean. Freelining might suggest using no weight but meat wouldn't look too natural, or would it?

Personally I've always called it "trundling". Learnt it back in the 70s from the wife of a bailiff, she used crust to catch many barbel and meat was favoured (and cheap) too. In fact anything she could scrounge off a fellow angler. Lovely lady.
Click to expand...

Don't make 'em like that anymore Paul :)
 
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