Roll On-Roll Off P2

We have already looked at the basics of pole rollers and their specific functions on the bank. We've even covered particular types of rollers, which our top team of anglers favour. To help refresh your memory, here is a breakdown of the roller choices our panel of experts prefer:

Diego da Silva: Diego uses V rollers almost exclusively. He is currently using prototype Rameau and Garbolino V rollers which, like the Milo model, come with stainless steel frames and are fully adjustable. He's a bit of a roller 'hoarder' and admits to having ten V's and one flat, which he uses on very high banks.
Alan Scotthorne: Alan has a very simple philosophy when it comes to rollers. Use a V when conditions are good, in his case a Daiwa Tournament Pro Roller, and a flat Boss style roller when it’s windy. This is because a pole cannot get blown 'up-and-over' a flat roller because it’s FLAT!
Alain Dewimille: Flat Boss/Sensas Sofia style rollers for even banks and a Sensas Luxe V roller for more awkward banks. Alain will always prefer the flat roller, wherever possible, because they are much lighter and help keep the pole tip low to the surface of the water when playing fish, something he believes reduces the problem of bumped fish.
Steve Gardener: The Milo Prince W rollers, which Steve uses, are of a stainless steel construction and, using special extensions, can be adjusted anywhere between 30cm high, to as tall as Steve himself! The main feature of these rollers is that you are able break down the pole twice and have each section laying in its own separate roller...because the 'W' design!

So what makes a good V roller?
When looking at a V, there are two parts of the roller you need to consider. One is the build and shape of the rollerhead itself and the other is the tripod. I will deal with both parts individually, as they are equally important.

What to look for in a rollerhead
V's have developed a lot in design and shape over the last 10 years, however, there are plenty available on the market which are still badly designed. The trouble with V rollers is that you can only see any problems surface, when conditions are not perfect. Part of preparing this article was to go out on a very windy day to test and photograph how different rollers behaved in the wind. With the help of my able fishing colleague, Dave Johnson, I spent the whole afternoon swapping rollers around and watching how they reacted as various gusts of wind caught them.
NOTE: I must add that while our results where based on this particular days' weather conditions, a different outcome would no doubt arise when winds became much stronger. However, everything is relative and you must always ensure that the roller(s), whatever you've chosen, are always fixed securely to avoid any unecessary tip-ups!

What our tests highlighted, surprisingly, was how a pole placed on a poorly designed roller would get blown up the roller every time. Yet swap to a different model and the pole didn't move at all. Here are some important points to take into account regarding this:

Note the angle of the arms. This is not that easy to notice and something that you simply would not be able to tell from looking at any individual model in the shop. We found that when we compared the arm angles of different roller models, the one's which had a more open 'V' angle, caused the pole to climb up the sides more, during our windy conditions. But when we changed to another model, which had just a few degrees less angle (a steeper angle), the pole remained at the bottom of the roller and did not climb up so much. On reflection, it sounds obvious that it should come down to just a difference of a few degrees. So the first thing to look for is a reasonably tight angle between the two V arms. We found the optimum angle to be around 45 degrees, so if the arms are fixed at less of an angle than this – that is more open – then a pole will find it much easier to climb up the arms. I tested a Daiwa roller against a Preston Freeflow model, and found the difference in how easy the pole got blown up the arms was amazing. The more open Preston model saw the pole climb up during a steady, but not gusty wind, by 10 or 15 centimetres every time, whilst the slightly steeper Daiwa arms stopped the pole climbing completely. The difference in arm angles between both these models was just a few degrees and are impossible to see unless you were able to place one next to the other.

Check how the arms lock into position. This is relative to our first point, but it's worth looking at when choosing a roller. On some V rollers, the base of the arms have square pegs which fit into square sprockets on the tripod and then screwed tight. These are extremely secure. On some cheaper models, the arm bases can be round and held in slots, or with weak screws. The problem with the slots and looser fitting screw systems is that, over time, the arms tend to work a loose and what starts off as a roller with a nice tight V, ends up after 6 months being too open and loose. So it's worth taking a close look at how the arms fit into the tripod and then lock.

Try and avoid models with too wide a roller section in the middle. Whilst you may think this can help you place the pole in the roller easier, in fact it can prove the opposite and actually assist in pushing the pole up, and over the arms, as the wider roller gives your pole something to run across and build up speed before climbing the arm! To some extent, a straight V roller will hold the pole as securely as anything, however, a plain V is not the most secure way to hold TWO sections of pole, as they can rub against each. Personally, I use a Daiwa Tournament which have a short double roller section in the centre, which I like because it helps reduce pole spin and is not so wide that the pole can get a run on it. The narrow section is just wide enough to hold two sections of pole, broken down.

Look for rollers with good bearings. Modern rollers spin on ball-bearings which give a very smooth passage of the pole. I mentioned this earlier in Part 1, stating that it helps reduce pole twist while offering smoothness and speed during shipping in and out. I'm aware that this may push the price of a roller up a bit, but not by that much.

Make sure that the roller is fitted with a good anti-wind elastic at the top. These elastics are real pole savers, as they stop the pole being blown over the top of the roller-arm in any strong wind. Most modern rollers have them, but it is worth considering a couple of points. Check how the elastic is attached to each roller arm and avoid those which have two metal hooks on the top holding the elastic, because if the tension weakens over time, there is a good chance that any pole section could get blown against the hooks themselves! Look for a system where the elastic is attached to the roller in an integrated way, rather than just hooked on, because your pole is sure to bounce up against this area at speed, if a gust of wind takes it. All current quality rollers now have integrated and clean elastic attachments at the top of each arm.

Milo's Prince has a screw attachment to securely support the elastic, and is easily taken out when conditions are fair.
Colmic have a plastic cap system that is neat and the Milo system has a neat screw-in button attachment, similar to that used on the Sensas Super Luxe model You may think that these are small and insignificant details, but if you are going to pay good money for a quality roller, it's important that you make sure all these small details are taken into account. They will ultimately ensure the safety of your pole, and smooth running of your purchase!
Even flat rollers have been known to blow over... but not these two!!!
Diego’s opinion: “A good anti-wind elastic is vital on a pole roller. But when there is no wind I leave them off, for two reasons. One, I don’t need to look back, in order to slot the pole in-between the two arms and elastic. I can simply drop the butt section onto the roller which is much quicker. The second is that the elastic puts tension on both arms, pulling them closer and slightly narrowing the 'V' angle.”

The tripod
Just as important, if not more so, is the tripod the rollerhead fixes to. The design of today's tripods have improved greatly, but there are still plenty of rollers on the market with cheap lightweight tripods that seem fine, that is, until a strong wind starts blowing! In the end, it's the poor standard of tripod that can tend to cause V rollers to blow over. This is one area of fishing tackle where the words 'false-economy' could really affect performance. As we mentioned previously, a badly manufactured tripod will ultimately always prove the more costly!

But again, spending more money does not necessarily guarantee that a rollers' tripod will do the job. So here are some questions you should ask yourself about the quality of any roller tripod:
Can the legs go flat? Many cheap rollers lock the legs in place by using a sliding cross brace, which drops down and effectively locks the angle of the tripod and stops the legs from sliding flat. The reason these rollers use a sliding cross brace is because it's much cheaper to produce than an independent locking system for each leg! So the wider you can spread the legs, the more stable the roller will be in a strong wind. This is where a quality tripod, with independent locking legs, lets you adjust the angle better, as well as being able to stretch the legs out flat, in order to increase the area of support and maximise stability.

Stevies opinion: "When setting up a tripod in a windy conditions, I find it amazing how many anglers do not make best use of the angle of the legs. A tripod is always more likely to topple over when it's pushed against two legs, rather than one. The easiest way to achieve this is to line up the head/arms with a single leg, then make sure that you point a single leg in the same direction that the wind is going to. This way any pressure from the pole will push directly on the single supporting leg, which is much more stable than pushing against the two open legs!"

There was very little difference between the three V's we took out!Can you get good height with your tripod? The very top of the range rollers, like the Milo Prince and the Sensas Luxe, come with extensions which allow you to set the rollerhead high, even with the legs extended flat. This adds extra cost, but there will be days when that extra cost means extra height! I compared the full height of three mid-priced rollers... the Preston Free Flow, the Daiwa Tournament V and an older Milo 'W' which had a standard sliding brace tripod. They went to about the same height when fully assembled, give or take a couple of centimetres, and would suit most fishing situations.

Is there a stabilising hook? Most rollers have a stabilising hook to let you attach a weight – preferably a bucket full of water – to weigh the whole tripod down and help it from tipping over. However, some stabilising hooks can work better than others. The cheaper rollers I mentioned earlier with the cross braces, which often have a stabilising hook, might look satisfactory, but the hook itself is too low down to actually fit a decent sized bucket under. Look for a roller where the stabilising hook is set higher under the central stem of the tripod when it's open. This will make it much easier to attach a good size bucket of water. There are even some rollers which come with a special screw rod-attachment which can be fixed to the central stem of the roller, so it can be screwed into harder ground!
The difference between a well-designed stabilising hook and one not so well-designed can mean lots of messing about trying to get the buckets handle round the frame!
Milo's current Prince model is the benchmark for today's rollers, but it comes with a weight problem.How heavy is the roller? This is an awkward one as a heavy roller means extra weight to carry along the bank, although this weight helps keep the whole roller more stable. Nevertheless, it's a decision which only the individual angler can make. Milo led the way with the stainless steel Prince model, now all the big manufacturers are chasing hard to produce their own versions. Even so, the weight-factor comes into every discussion about rollers. Imagine for a moment that your budget was not an issue when choosing a roller and you could afford the most expensive stainless steel model on the market. Many anglers would probably choose not to buy it on the grounds of weight to carry. Although it's less of an problem on the continent, as many venues have car parking behind almost all fishing areas, while in the UK, there are access and distance issues to take into account. If you have to walk a long way with your tackle, then you need to make some sort of compromise with what you may carry. This can be directed at the roller itself, balancing between the weight or stability factor. You could overcome this, for example, by having a lighter roller in your car in case you draw a long walk, or you could decide on a a mid-weight roller as a compromise. The Diawa Tournament roller frame, while not being of solid stainless steel, is one of the mid-weight models of strong tubular construction. This is a good enough roller, probably for 85-90% of the time, but obviously not as heavy as the solid stainless steel option.

What makes a good flat roller
While flat rollers are not as complex as V's in design, it's still just as easy to buy a badly designed model...as a well designed one! Look out for some of these things:
Does the roller have bankstick-style legs? The very best flat rollers are those with solid telescopic bankstick-style thin-round legs. There are two reasons for this. One is that the thin legs are easy to push into the ground and YOU SHOULD always push your roller legs into soft ground. The second is that you can extend the telescopic legs to gain more height. Only the Boss/Sensas Sofia type allow you do this and are extremely useful on unexpectedly awkward banks! It's best to avoid flat rollers which have thicker rectangular legs, which can be very difficult to push into anything but the softest of ground.
If you have to ues a flat roller, try to get one which has thin telescopic legs, because they can always be extended more by using another bankstick.
Too wide a roller can create momentum, as the wind pushes the pole to one end!Is it reasonably narrow? This might sound like an odd thing to look for in a flat roller, but try to avoid the really wide ones. They may look good and give plenty of room to set the pole, but all they really seem to do is provide a runway for your pole to build-up speed, when it's blown across it by a sudden gust of wind. If any section builds up enough momentum, you risk cracking it on one of the upright end supports. To avoid this you could slightly tilt the roller so that you create an angle for the pole section to sit in. There is one particular incredibly wide roller which has recently come onto the market. The Milo Brooklyn Maxi is one such roller which doesn't fit into the above bracket. It has a split central roller column which effectively divides the width into two flat areas...two for the price of one! Expect to see more manufacturers opting for this system in the future. Whichever flat roller you choose, it always makes sense to take extra care when placing the pole in extreme windy conditions.
Often overlooked until the pole hits one of them...pole roller stops. Just make sure the casing that supports these stops does not have any protruding casing!Are the short vertical rollers free of any casing or housing? This might be something you do not often consider, but on a flat roller, if the vertical uprights are held in a hard casing, then there's a chance that your pole could get damaged if it constantly hit it at the wrong angle. Impossible, or not?
Daiwa's Double flat roller, a derivative from the highly successful, but not functioning Boss company.Does it use a single or double roller? Double flat rollers are much better as you get more contact for your pole to sit on and they also seem to spin the pole less as you slide it back and forth. The best flat rollers are those with the tilting head, that allows the roller to follow the pole as the weight of the pole slides backwards across it.

We spotted this solid-looking flat roller at the 2009 World Champs in Almere. It belonged to a Portuguese angler. If he reads this article, perhaps he can let us know where you can buy them... it looks the business!

Alan Scotthorne on international pole limits
"I think that the 13 metre pole limit we have at the moment is holding us back in top class angling. The problem with the 13 metre limit is it makes venues more unfair than they need to be. When the fish get pushed out a bit, by pressure, as they often do, or if you draw a swim with some problem like a bed of mussels or snaggy bottom at 13 metres, then you have nowhere to go to look for fish. An anglers chance in any international championship can be ruined just by the nature of the bottom at 13 metres. Pole limits also discourage anglers to properly explore their swims and work at two lines. If pole limits went to 14.5, or dare I say it, even 16 metres, then it would make more sense to try and work at a roach line at 10 or 11 metres, knowing that you have space to develop a bream/big fish line further out. Of course, if pole limits were relaxed in French matches, then using two pole rollers would become vital for every angler wanting to fish efficiently beyond 13 metres!"
Editor's note: It would also, I'm sure, benefit the tackle wholesaler, distributor or retail shop in extra section sales!

The choice between a V or flat can be a very personal one. Flat rollers are light and easy to set up and will not let your pole slide up them in a wind. But they can be blown over when used on hard banks, where the legs cannot be pushed into the ground. The V roller is bulkier to carry and heavier, especially if you have a stainless steel model. But it's much more versatile as it allows a greater height range and makes it easier to place your pole over any snags. If the legs on the tripod also go flat, then it's the perfect choice for ultimate stability on any hard or concrete bank. However, lightweight V rollers are not that stable and a poor tripod design will eventually lead to pole breakages. In many cases your choice may be governed by budget or what actually best suits your needs. Only you know the venues you fish and the banks you regularly ship poles across, therefore you should make your roller choice(s) based on that. But no matter what you choose, flat or V, try to pick one that matches the criteria outlined above. Whilst we appreciate there is always a cost consideration when buying any product, your aim should always be to get the best you can afford. See what other anglers are using on the bank. A personnel inspection, or recommendation of a particular model can sometimes be very worthwhile, so don't be afraid to look around before making your choice.

One, two or three rollers...how many do you need?
This is a complex question. Anglers on a tight budget are probably thinking, here is another article aimed at top flight anglers only, which ignores the needs of the more modest angler! Well I am aware that budgets are tight – mine included at times – so before I start talking about how many rollers to use, here is a quick guide on how you can make a highly effective windproof back-roller from some recycled fishing equipment for next-to-nothing.

The landing net back roller

This idea came from Terry Harrison, of England's Daiwa Dorking team, who was fishing a competition with me over the Easter holiday during a gale force wind. Terry had one of these home-made back rollers stuck into the ground on a bankstick, which really impressed me as there seemed no way the pole was ever going to be blown out of it. All you need is an old landing net head, some foam and a bit of waterproof electrical tape to make one:

I have tested this home made roller a fair bit since then and I am delighted to say it works perfectly every time! With a decent front roller, your pole slides easily over the electricians tape. Setting it up is child’s play too. Simply line up the loop with your front roller and as you ship back push your pole but into the middle of the frame then drop it on the taped up section and slide it back. On concrete banks you need to screw the landing net head into a tripod, but remember, your back roller will only be as stable as the tripod itself! Despite the fact that the foam does not 'roll', the landing net concept really works and, provided it is fixed securely, there is no way your pole will ever get blown out of it!
AND, it costs almost nothing to make! But back to the question...

How many rollers do you need?
And, as always, there are a few things to consider before deciding:

Alan Scothorne’s guide to double roller placing
Alan follows a simple principle when setting out to fish with two rollers. He ALWAYS positions the back roller one and a half sections of his pole from the end, whether he’s fishing at 13 or 16 metres. The second roller is then placed half-way between the back roller and his seatbox. Alan's simple guide is quite easy to remember and apply on any venue.

Are you planning to cup-in a lot during a session? If you are, then two rollers is a definite advantage. There are two ways you can set them up. One is to have them set-up as Steve Gardener, both for shipping and cupping, but with your first roller about 2.5 metres behind you. This takes the strain out of topping-up with big balls of leam, or stickymag and gravel, plus, it makes shipping in and out much easier whilst fishing. The only minor problem is that you have to break down at the cupping kit. Alan Scotthorne uses a second roller in a different reason. He often has a roller positioned purely for cupping in, so that he can ship the whole pole back without breaking down at the cupping kit. This is perfect when you are either cupping in most of your feed at the start and want to be in and out quickly, or where you are topping up with two or three balls at a time.

Are you fishing a very shallow venue? If you were fishing a deep river and breaking down on the 5th section each time, then you will only ever have four sections behind you at most (assuming the continental 13m rule). There is absolutely no need for a second roller in these circumstances. But if you are fishing a shallower venue and breaking down on top 2’s or 3’s, then a second roller makes more sense. Diego recalls fishing at Chemille sur Indrois, where the venue was only 80cm deep and, even with the extra line needed to go running through, he decided to use two rollers to make fishing easier.

Are you feeding two lines? This is a common situation in match fishing. If you are feeding a line at 7/8 metres and another at 13, then you need two rollers for each of these breakdown distances. If you where going to use two rollers for your 13 metre line, then a third roller, set up at a slight angle, would also make sense. In fact, this is what many anglers did during the 2009 WC in Holland, when many of the teams had a short and long line. They positioned one, or two, main rollers for their long 13 metre line and a second (or third) roller, slightly offset for their short line. If your second line is short, say 5 or 6 metres, then it may actually be easier not to use a roller at all, but simply break down those couple of sections and lay them behind you.
Both Alan Scotthorne and Italy's Jacopo Falsini use a third roller, placed at an angle, for use when fishing a short line.
Do you ever fish longer than 13 metres? This is more a question for continental anglers, rather than those in the UK, where pole limits don't apply! While many in Europe would have only ever fished to 13 metres, once you cross the channel, nearly every venue in the UK will require that you to fish beyond that, if you want to remain competitive! Then you WILL need TWO rollers! That doesn't mean to say that everyone in Europe NEVER fishes beyond 13 metres. Those that do would find their sessions much more comfortable (assuming they have only used one roller previously), with the aid of a second roller.
Steve Gardener's positioning of his W rollers means he has a smooth operation when speed-fishing.Is it a question of speed? Shipping in and out fast, is all about smoothness. For many anglers a second roller greatly helps this process. Steve Gardener is certainly of that opinion. Using two rollers not only makes shipping very easy, but eliminates the need for a pole, or tulip, on most banks. Once you line up both rollers, just above the height of your knee, the end of your pole will always be correctly placed close by, and not out of reach. But you do need to glance behind you to line up the sections as you ship them in. Diego, on the other hand, feels his wider single roller is faster because he can ship in and out, almost without looking behind him.

Tulip or pole sock?
Diego finds it impossible to fish with a pole sock because he is so familiar with lifting the pole from a tulip, that it has just become part of his natural fishing style and finds it difficult to change. Steve tends to use a pole sock when he fishes a shorter line and breaks the pole down off his front roller. He also showed me the latest innovation in pole socks, which he'd asked Milo to make... a two section sock! The idea being that the sock is divided into two halves, allowing two parts of the pole to be held without knocking into each other!

FINAL CONCLUSIONS
There seems a lot to take in when considering pole rollers, but a few fundamental points are worth repeating:

A decent roller will ultimately prove a good investment for any angler. We spend a lot of money on poles, so why not get a roller that will look after them!
There are as many well-designed, as badly-designed, rollers out there. Money alone does not always buy you the best roller, so follow some of the points and guidelines we've set out above.
Two rollers will make many aspects of fishing easier, but many anglers, particularly in France, are still not using this double set-up. There are definite advantages when it comes to speeding up the shipping process, provided you are breaking down at 2, 3 or 4 sections.
Try my recycled back roller. It's not only cheap to make.... it also works brilliantly!
Consider the carrying weight, against the stability factor, when making roller choices. The ideal situation is to use the lighter flat rollers for those long walks and the heavier more stable V’s for when you can park close to your peg.
Consider the height and angle of your roller and try to work out a set-up routine that best suits the way you fish.

The poor old pole roller seems to have become something of a Cinderella piece of equipment. Anglers, who are happy to spend thousands of £/€'s on seat boxes and poles, are surprisingly tight-fisted when it comes to picking out a quality roller. Why would we expect a roller to cost less than £50's, and think that it should still be strong, stable, versatile and well-designed? What's happened over recent years is that rollers have not really progressed enough, in terms of build and design, to be as well thought-out, or built, as other items of tackle. There is still not a roller on the market today that has been built to the same high quality standard and durability as the very best carp rod pods. Compare, for instance, the UK-made Solar Stainless Worldwide rod pod, or the Fox SkyPod, which both retail well over £200, with even the best stainless-steel/tensile-aluminium rollers on the market and you will see the difference. Why do the legs on rollers start to weaken after a couple of months wear? Why do the pole roller frames rust and need constant lubrication to stop them seizing up? I am not just referring to cheap rollers here, but some of the very best on offer in the the marketplace. They seem as though they are still not made to a high enough specification to truly stand up to the wear and tear we put them through.

But maybe it's not that simple, or fair, to make sweeping judgments!
If we analyse the situation further, we find several market forces at work, dictating the retail sector and what we pay for our product. The current global financial climate is one of them, effectively creating cuts and cost-saving measures across a whole range of sectors. Another issue is China. Just about everything, especially in terms of manufacturing fishing products, is produced in China... why? Because it's cheap. It means that production costs are kept down to a minimum so that wholesalers/retailers can sell the product at a more realistic cost. This ultimately creates it's own backlash in the form of what we describe as sub-standard products. In reality it's not! You must take into account a wholesaler's purchase from the onset... they will need to mark-up the produced cost, taking into account their overheads, such as distribution, advertising, storage, packaging etc. Then we have a further markup from the actual retailer, ie the tackle shop. They have to cover rent, rates, staff, storage etc. All these things crank up the cost by about 4x the original products production cost!
We are effectively getting what we pay for, so the problems seems to be... what we are prepared to pay instead! The actual reality is that all too few of us are prepared to spend a lot of money on a secondary piece of angling kit, but rather prefer to divert a larger proportion of our cash to a major item of tackle. And it's here that, perhaps, the problem may lie.

Yet it's still not the whole story...
Pole rollers seem to be moving towards using more solid materials, but the build quality of many rollers still leaves a big question mark, which I suppose will never be resolved, due to the availability of many individuals' finances. There is a market waiting, I'm sure, for properly made, high quality pole rollers, that are well-designed, stable and built to last! But it will not be a cheap purchase... remember you only get what you pay for. Perhaps there is a brave wholesaler out there who will realise that there's nothing available in the roller market yet, that is TRULY top quality. and produce something that will stand up to seasons of use in all weathers. When I look at the money I’ve spent on rollers over the years and the 'roller-cemetery' I have in a corner of the garage, then actually a roller that lasted for years would have been a good investment!

Consider one ABSOLUTE final thought...
Taking everything above into account, we also have to remember that as anglers, we can be notoriously lazy when it comes to looking after our equipment. We've all, at one time or another, neglected to tidy/clean our seatbox, pole, left rods in damp bags... and especially thrown rollers back into their bags muddy and damp and then left them in the shed or car until we go out again.... Tell me I'm wrong!!!
How on earth can we expect any of our equipment to last, if we abuse them so badly?
Perhaps we should revise our habits and stop blaming the product and perhaps start looking at ouselves?

NOTE: When we say manufacturer, we refer to someone who actual makes the product, not someone who buys it in bulk from source, at a unit price, and then ships it to his storage facility, ready for distributing to the retailer! He effectively is a MIDDLE-MAN.

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