David Siskind | Sunday, 14 June 2026
Graeme Hird dropped an interesting YouTube video last week about roll casts and anchors. As I’m understanding it the rearward pull on the anchor does not occur until after the rod unloads and the loop is formed. What impressed me the most was watching the loops. What's going on? What is it that creates a virtual pulley - changing the line’s direction and transmitting tension? Why does the form of the loop hold as it eats the fly leg and lengthens the rod leg? Is there an inherent stability to a well formed, well tended loop or is the loop a delicate wraith, only made substantial by the application of a well-learned skill? This virtual pulley is where momentum meets the wave form. It’s like the missing link between relativity and quantum physics (forgive me, physicists. I’m just an old engineer).
Thinking about the “virtual pulley,” was further inspired by this fishing cast by Katka Svagrova Also, what was working for me in Wyoming, I have decided to explore the world of medium to wider loops. I began this week by working on loop control. This naturally fed into exploring tracking deviations so I saw some improvement there. For me, forming wider loops requires a less energetic turn over - a more relaxed stroke - too much snap and I get wide and pointy. My goal is to form blunt, semicircular loops varying both line speed and loop diameter. I believe that sexy, well-formed, perfectly aligned loops, travel well, cut through wind effectively, go further, turn over, and go where they’re told. Tracking errors, secondary waves, rapidly morphing loops, all fuck everything up. I think that any deviation from the ideal esthetic loop introduces significant form drag and unpredictable swoops and kicks as the cast rolls out. No matter what I’m working on I find myself in sync with the freshest Sexyloops videos. And then the a good one dropped. I emphasized the first drill practicing yesterday.
When I first performed the “minimum energy” drill, years ago, I was looking to understand the ample space between maximum effort and adequate. Revisiting it I found stalling the loop nearly impossible. I more often ran out of horizontal room, losing the loop to the ground not to attenuation. Increasing the launch angle allowed the loop to travel farther before hitting the ground. Never found Nick’s dolphin nose. Maybe I have been correcting to keep things smooth. I’ll look for it here in LA next week. I will work on gazing at the target while varying loop width and launch angle. Hopefully I can find some wind to work with.
Last night I watched the streaming Kennedy Center sign restoration for a bit. It wasn’t thrilling viewing. Probably had to be there. One funny thing. The sign had been changed to read, “The Donald J. Trump And The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Performing Arts,” which doesn’t make sense no matter how you read it. Too many “The”s. Does the “And” bind the “The Donald” to the arts center. Is he, Trump, in the house? Or Does “And” couple “The John” and “The Donald? These people are so lazy.
The Knicks just won the NBA championship. I’m thrilled. New Yorkers are thrilled. Not sure what they would do without Brunson. It’s fun to see all the old guys who played in ‘73 and those that didn’t quite get there in the years since. I’m surprised how pleased I am. San Antonio has some special players and a great coaching tradition. They’ll win a bunch. I love their game.
Cheers,
David Siskind