Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Help with the double haul

I have never mastered the double haul and have set that as a goal to learn how. It seems that basically I have poor timing and when I release my haul on the back cast. Just kill the load on the rod. Being a drummer in my younger life I try and establish a rythm count pattern. i have broken the process down to 3 parts the haul, the stop of the cast either back or forward and the release. My question is do you sequence the three parts as haul,stop,release or do you do a stop, haul, release. I always thought it was the former using the haul to preload the cast, but read where the haul and release should come after the stop of the cast. How do you do it?

I hope this makes sense thanks.

Wow! I can double haul, but I don't know that I could write the process down. It is a very fluid motion that is all about timing of when you pull the flyline in relation to the loading of the flyrod, both front and rear.

It does double the efficiency of the flyrod and allows you to cast farther with less motion of the flyrod. I have taught fly casting for years but never tried to describe the process in text...

Shrapnel I try and sing the rhythm in my head, for example if the haul is after the stop I would count/sing it as the old Lawrence Welk count down of " one- and -uh, two-and-uh" one being the back cast stop and two being the forward cast stop with the haul and release in between .

if you do the haul before the stop I would could count/sing it as " an-one-an, an-two-an." I know it is all pretty instantaneous or fluid but for me if I can sing the rhythm I can feel it and make my hands do it. Thanks for your help.

I am like Shrapnel and not sure I can describe it, but I will give it a try.

The haul wants to happen in what Lefty Kreh calls the "speedup" or the acceleration phase of the cast, the release is at the stop. The haul wants to be short and quick. Most people tend to pull too much line on the haul but short and quick gets the line speed up and the load on the rod at maximum.

I would suggest not releasing line on the stop until you have learned to time the haul on the speedup stroke of the rod. This is done by retaining grip on the line and following the rod with the haul, basically at the stop your line returns to the grip hand as the release. I know this sounds confusing but I don't know how to explain it. When you have mastered that timing without losing the load on the rod then you can start releasing line at the stop to extend the cast.

As Shrapnel said I use the haul on most every cast to some degree to minimizes the motion of the rod for the same results, so keep the casts short and efficient and then lengthen the amount of line and travel of the rod as skill progresses.

Lefty Kreh has published a good book on the subject and has videos available which I am sure will help you. Since you are experienced with the fly rod the book or video, or an hour of professional instruction, should have you mastering this technique in short order.

That's about as good a description as any I ever saw in print. I too would have trouble describing it, but I could show you.

One thing about developing a "count/repeatable rhythm" is it might lock you into a cadence that isn't adaptable to ever changing situations. Were it me and I didn't have a feel for it, I would seek out someone who can show me the mechanics of it. Sometimes one has to break down and seek personal instruction. Good luck!

Double haul.
http://assets.winstonrods.com/winston-video/winston-channel/joan-wulff/joan-wulff-9.mp4

Scroll down for more Joan Wulff instructional videos. She's just great!
file:///C:/Users/andy/Downloads/JOAN%20WOLF%20R.L.%20Winston%20Rod%20Co.%20_%20Video%20_%20Instructional%20Videos%20(1).htm

I lucked into a casting lesson from Joan Wulff once. Lee was giving a lecture at a single malt scotch tasting party I attended and Joan was out in the hall showing off her mini rod and yarn combo for indoor practice. (Myself and another guy were the only flyfishers in attendance.) When I mentioned that roll casting was giving me fits (changing the drop of the fly a foot or two either side of the pickup point) she asked if I had a rod with me. Duh, back then I didn't go anywhere without a rod in the car. She met me in the parking lot and in no time had corrected my evil ways! In the dark, lit up by street lights. Lee found us out there and chided me for stealing his girl. Delightful people.

Then there was the time I sat at a bar with Jim Bashline and Ernie Schweibert drinking scotch and tying a few flies. But that's a story for another time... (OMG the stories those guys could tell, especially when under the influence!)

Do a Google search for Lefty Kreh. There's a series of great videos on fly casting, double haul being on of them.

-Mike-

Breaking up timing problems, like a haul is best done by casting sideways, very slowly. Let the line hit the ground at every stage, you are just going to be looking at the line and watching what your movements do to it. Once you see how it works move it up to a normal casting position.

To start, the forward haul is the most useful. The acceleration of the haul should not start until the rod is past your head coming forward. Start the haul when you see the rod...

Pull in a little bit of line and immediately return it or release, depending on the length of your stroke. Big exaggerated hauls add little that a short quick haul does not.

The back haul is also done late in the acceleration of the rod to maximize effect.

There are lots of youtube videos that will help you get good casting instruction.

I have been flycasting for longer than I care to do the math. (e.g., they put me in the "pro" division of the Bozeman fly casting contest in 1982 because I was in the employ of a fly shop at the time.) But it was not until I went bonefishing in MX recently that I realized that my self-taught casting technique (including the timing of my hauling) needed to be completely rebuilt. Getting to 80' in the wind was beyond me.

I'm by far not a pro or really an good but I find I can double haul some when I don't think about it too much...

The double haul will come with time and practice

Just a matter of timing, speed and feel. Took about a year to pick it up.

Now I would have a hard to to explain how to do it on paper

Like a good golf or baseball swing hard to explain.

The double haul will come with time and practice

Just a matter of timing, speed and feel. Took about a year to pick it up.

Now I would have a hard to to explain how to do it on paper

Like a good golf or baseball swing hard to explain.

I double haul with my 6 1/2 foot fiber touch 2 wt with a slight double taper line to my looomis in 12 wt with a shooting head for tarpon. Completely different each rod but I know the feeling and how to execute.

I do not find it that difficult to learn or teach the double-haul... doing it as I suggested earlier with your rod horizontal and watch it for a few minutes. Most new casters pick it up in less than 15 minutes...

More experienced casters often need to erase bad habits before getting it right.

Another thing to focus on is having a solid stop with your back and forward cast and keeping the rod in the same plane. Lots of guys are spongy with there stops and lose energy along with bringing the rod out of plane. This happens more when you try to haul. I see it a lot when teaching people. They are trying to do to much. Practice hauling without a rod in your hand to get the motion down. It helps.

The practice came to me through time and a desire for more distance. Never really made a conscious effort to develop the technique.

I use both the water and a haul to begin the back cast. Puts a lot of speed and momentum into the line. I then feed the hauled line out as the back cast is unrolling, and then haul again as the forward cast is initiated. When about 1/2 of the forward cast has extended, the balance of the line is released to shoot.

It's most effective if one hauls when his line is near as straight as possible. Not effective at all if there any angle between ones forward and backward directions. I.e. both the back and forward casts should be on the same line.

Mostly employed when steelheading with a single hander on big water. Not much of a delicate presentation for dry fly trouting etc.

Using the haul while the line is in the water is NOT as effective as waiting until the rod is as loaded as it is going to get in the regular cast. That last little bit of load at the very end is where you increase and maintain the effect of the haul.

The rod will straighten after the haul if done too early and it will not increase line speed, the whole point of hauling.

Also, the haul is very simple, a short tug of 8" or so of line which is IMMEDIATELY returned.

The monster forward haul often seen in saltwater fly fishing does more than the 8" quickie, for sure, but the compromises are not usually worthwhile in freshwater fly casting... big water steelhead is an exception.

A tune-up from a good teacher will improve distance remarkably.

Good post.

Jason Borger offers the best advice I recall having seen. To see page 2 be sure to click on the green "Link" http://www.moldychum.com/?p=4481

Here's the meat of the piece. It's good.
http://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/double-hauling-in-333-words-or-more