Using Pole Rollers
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Pole rollers are essential for match anglers and over the years many designs have been tried. Preston were the first to design the folding tripod type roller a few years ago and since then we have refined the design and utilised lighter materials.
We now have four rollers in the range, three work on the ‘V’ tripod design and one on a flat design. These all have extending telescopic legs for perfect adjustment on uneven banks and are locked using a cam lock clip that is quick and secure. The rollers themselves are made of a high density foam that is gentle on the pole and protects it from damage. All three ‘V’ rollers also have a detachable protection cord between the top of the rollers which helps reduce the chances of a pole being blown off the roller in high winds.
Why Two Rollers?
In the last few years using two rollers together has become more popular and with good reason. With anglers now fishing at longer lengths, often with very short ‘up in the water’ rigs, pole bounce when shipping out, even with the stiffest poles, has become a more common problem. Actually the problem isn’t the pole bounce, it’s the resulting tangles that occur that are the big problem and even our top consultants suffer. By using two rollers correctly positioned, pole bounce is greatly reduced and so are the tangles. Two rollers also make a massive difference when cupping in bait at longer lengths too.
Which two rollers you choose to use makes very little difference and most anglers have their own preference. Even our consultants can’t all agree on which is best! Looking at it sensibly, using a Pro Flat Roller at the front gives more lateral movement than a ‘V’ roller. This is useful when playing a fish that runs sideways whilst unshipping. A ‘V’ roller at the back prevents too much lateral movement and keeps the pole in the right alignment.
The Right Position
What is more important is how you position them. The front roller must always be slightly higher than the back one. The difference doesn’t have to be much but it really helps to stop the pole bumping when it leaves the rear roller. The simplest way to get the rollers in the right position (assuming you are using 14.5 metres or longer) is to set the front roller about 3 metres back from your box and the rear roller about 4 metres from the end of the pole when fully shipped back.
With your top kit unshipped the pole should be at a comfortable height for you to reach. If the pole feels light when you hold the unshipped end, you need to move the rear roller back, or the front roller closer to you.
Once you have the rollers roughly in the right position, ship out and see if there is any bounce as the pole leaves the rear roller. If there is you need to move the rollers closer together. This might be the rear one forward or the front one back, but when you get it correct you’ll know as shipping out will be seamless.
For anglers worried about transporting two rollers instead of one, there’s the reassurance that all Preston rollers pack down to a compact size into their own bag and are manufactured from lightweight aluminium.
