David Siskind | Sunday, 26 January 2025
This note will be short as I have been distracted by the forceful roll out of Trump 2.0. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has started picking up people who look like immigrants. Also Trump wants to condition aid for the fires, here in LA, on changes in voting regulations and the opening of that big valve that allows water in Canada to flow south. I’m hoping that this crew’s incompetence blunts their worst designs but this time they have recruited a few knowledgeable ideologues and there are no holdovers from the neoliberal order to restrain them. It’s worrisome. I have some vulnerable migrant friends who have come legally but are now in the crosshairs. I’ve been scurrying around prepping document packages to carry on their persons. People are scared.
I did, however, make it out to the river to practice a couple of times this week. My normal practice field has been fenced off for annual re-seeding, so I have to practice while fishing. There is a difference between the “bumpless" cast I have been working on (name is mine) and the stopless casts that Paul Arden describes - both when performing the 170 and the torque twist. I haven't been going stopless but mostly I’ve trying to keep everything smooth, replacing the transverse “bump” with a rotation out of the SLP to apply power. I video-taped what I was doing and sent it to Paul. He didn’t think much of my efforts. Said I was still finishing too high. Sad. I’ll keep trying. And explaining myself.
There is one possible insight (or possible delusion) that popped up. It’s sort of biomechanical. I find it is much easier for me to go smooth AND stopless using the cradle grip or applying a torque twist. It seems to me that the rod tip gets to its lowest finish position more easily and much faster than it does with a palm-forward or “key” grip. I’m wondering whether this could be what impacts line speed. I know there are other explanations. I think I’ll film myself more often. And measure more.
David Siskind