Another very useful cast for an upstream wind scenario as the D loop prior to the final delivery is formed on the upstream side of the angler (much safer in these conditions).

What differentiates the Snap "T" form the Circle "C" cast is the profile of the fly line in the air as it travels in an upstream direction. This is much narrower than the very open and circular shape created when using the Circle "C" cast and bearing in mind the basic rule in fly casting that the fly line will only follow the path of the rod tip as it moves through the air, then this is obviously caused by a narrower or sharper downstream snap of the rod tip at the end of it's upstream journey.

 

This downstream chop or tuck of the rod tip underneath the following fly line is designed to project your fly line and fly, upstream of you, the position of which can then be dictated by you as you return your rod tip to a position downstream of you and just above the water surface (pictured below) ready for the next movement.

By doing this you can access very difficult areas along the river bank such as overhanging trees that you would hit with the rod tip if using a Single Spey cast or even hit with your fly if using a Circle "C" cast as the fly follows the very open circular shape as it travels upstream.

So to analyse this cast, when the rod tip is returned to your downstream bank following the snap (as in the Circle "C" cast) the subsequent upstream sweep of the rod tip to create your D loop is much flatter, making sure you are now under the branches and not in them.

 

If your intension is to fish with longer sinking lines then this cast is not as efficient when it comes to digging your line out of the water with the initial snap. In this scenario, the Circle "C" would be the better choice of the two, as it allows you to move your rod tip through a longer distance to assist with drawing the sinking section of your fly line up to the surface during the initial movement of the cast. Alternatively you can use the Roll cast to roll your fly line and fly up onto the surface first.

Depending on your situation, variations in the angle of your rod tip building up to the initial snap can be quite useful and is worth experimenting with as well as combining the Circle "C" cast with the Snap "T" to create a hybrid of the two, which many of us already do.

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