On the beauty of the tight loop
- By Graham Waterton
Many have tried to describe the aesthetic pleasures of fly casting. This by Thomas McGuane in The Longest Silence where in 1966 he sees the precocious talent of the 13 year old Steve Rajeff cast at the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club
' ... and he casts with a common elegance - a high, slow backcast, perfect timing, and a forecast that straightens with precision. He seems to overpower very slightly so that the line turns over and hangs an instant in the air to let the leader touch first. He regulates the width of the loop in his line to the inch and at will. When a headwind comes up, he tightens the loop into a perfectly formed, almost beveled, little wind cheater. It is quite beautiful.'
Lovely words and McGuane recognises one of the real practical benefits of tight loops ... casting into a wind.
If you don't know this little gem of a book, please read it ... I have many times and it never ceases to please.
More from McGuane to come ...