In this era of instant gratification, most of us don’t have a lot of patience. I don’t. I can order almost anything – books, exercise equipment, food – and it will come to my door in less time that it would take me to get ready, drive to the store, find it, buy it, and drive back. Consequently, the idea that something complicated can be reduced to a minute of reading, or better yet, watching a short video, appeals to us. Nowadays, it feels almost mandatory.
I think that this is one of the reasons why concepts such as SLP have survived. We want to believe that fly casting can be reduced to one thing. Unfortunately, it can’t.
Another problem with SLP is that most people who can form tight loops can’t explain how to create a straight-line rod tip path. One reason is that the rod tip path of most casters who form tight loops isn’t straight.
SLP doesn’t simplify casting. Not at all. If anything, it makes something that is complicated… more complicated… and more confusing.
On the other hand, I don’t know whether it is helpful to explain how the best casters in the world form tight loops and then contrast it to how less-skilled casters try to form loops.
I hope that my answer – long as it is – is more informative than writing that your rod tip path needs to be straight. It certainly will have less charm.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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