Compound-complex loops

I have to say that this is what I enjoy so much about these discussions. Just when you think you

have a concept nailed down along comes an observation that makes you rethink everything from the basics.

In this case the concept is how we relate loops, legs and rsp. When does the fly leg stop being the fly leg?

After the loop has completely straightened? In one variant of a snap cast we are essentially recasting

while our initial loop is still unrolling. Is this actually changing what happens to the fly leg or does the

first loop straighten completely which makes the fly leg become part of the original rod leg and then become

Taking a look at Paul Arden's home page on Sexyloops www.sexyloops.com Paul demonstrats a cast with two

obvious loops, a third one just forming and a total of 4 legs. Which is/are the fly and rod leg(s)? Is the fly leg from one loop

I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about this. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

I used to think the definitions committee had a tough task. I'm beginning to think it may more like impossible.

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Hopefully, the perfect fly will never be tied. I never wish to use a fishing method which assures a catch with every cast, either.

By the same token, one of the things I love best about fly casting is the infathomability of all its inner secrets !

When we first started this Study Group, I feared that after a year or two we'd run out of topics and our efforts would turn into abject redundency .

It appears that the more we learn, the more we find we don't know. Certainly this has always been true of science, medicine, and other advanced disciplines .........but flycasting ?

My, "thing" in life has been to try to stay on the cutting edge of what endeavor I enter. Our Study Group allows us all to do the same as we go way beyond, "test requirements" and flycasting dogma.

1.) The beauty of definition is that something can be what we declare it to be. In the case of the fly leg, we may consider it no longer a, "leg" as the leader and fly enter the loop during its final unfurl.

2.) Yes .... I think the fly leg from one loop can form from the rod leg of another.

3. ) We can deform an already formed loop by what we do with the fly rod during counterflex and, again, during rebound.

We can tear it open with what we do after rebound, or further deform it, though we can't easily change the direction of its flight. Note the word, "easily". (Old dogma dictates that we can't change the direction of loop flight once the loop is on its way ..... )

As with the dynamic version of the SNAP CAST, we can make a second cast prior to the unrolling of the loop, thus violently changing the direction of flight by 180 degrees ........ even directing the second formed loop several degrees to either side behind the caster.

(Dean Floyd taught me to do that as he repeatedly made a forward cast and, then (prior to its loop fully unrolling) made a second cast, "into it" and directed the reverse cast thus made to have the fly land accurately to targets placed behind him on either side.)

I've seen Tom White use this trick to snap a fly back at a heckler standing behind him at a fly show whilst giving a demo. Shuts up the heckler, and delights the crowd .

Sounds like, "trick casting"....kind of like, "comic dancing" ..... however, I have actually used the snap cast to present to a bonefish which comes in close behind me after I've made a forward cast to one which didn't take. This way, I can snap one back to the new fish without even bringing my rod up and back where a spooky fish would see it. Then, there is the variation which yields the SNAP - T for Spey fishing.

Now, if we do the same thing but with application of less power, we can get two loops at the same time .... one forward, and one backward.

By altering the timing and application of power, we can actually get two loops going in the same direction.

Paul Arden may have some comments to help teach us on this one........................

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