Learning the double-haul

[Gallah]

G'day guys,

As I've mentioned before, I'm teaching myself to double-haul.

I'm making small improvements each session, however I have been noticing that I can still cast further/neater if I don't double haul and just put all my concentration into making a straight, tight loop on my cast.

The motions of the double-haul are starting to become automatic, to the point where I have to concentrate to not haul if I've been practicing for a while, but it still doesn't seem to be making any noticeable difference to my cast - apart from occasionally messing it up a bit.

I don't want to give the impression that my hauling/casting is a complete mess because it's not. Obviously far from perfect, but it's not totally horrible with the line whipping the ground and wide open loops or anything like that. I'm just not making any noticeable gains in distance with my hauls, that's all.

I'm assuming that this is a normal part of learning, and it will all "click together" in the end, but I just wanted to double check.

Thanks for confirming that and any other advice.

Cheers.

[Paul Arden]

What line are you casting? If you're using a slick and fairly short headed WF line it may help. I find that the timing and speed comes from the hauling side when you've mastered it. Messing up is no doubt haul timing or slack.

[Crackaig]

Philip White taught me to double haul. Well he taught me how to learn it. Practice the motion until it becomes automatic without a rod and line. Then when you do pick up a rod it will give you the timing for an action you can already perform. That said my fly casting is more functional that art, it still needs a lot of work.
Cheers,
C.

[Gallah]

What line are you casting? If you're using a slick and fairly short headed WF line it may help. I find that the timing and speed comes from the hauling side when you've mastered it. Messing up is no doubt haul timing or slack.

Thanks guys for the advice.

The line is a #5 Cortland WF "rocket taper". I can't remember exactly what name they gave it.

On my #9 I have standard RIO brand WF saltwater lines, one floating and one I.

[easterncaster]

Philip White taught me to double haul. Well he taught me how to learn it. Practice the motion until it becomes automatic without a rod and line. Then when you do pick up a rod it will give you the timing for an action you can already perform. That said my fly casting is more functional that art, it still needs a lot of work.
Cheers,
C.

... interesting.

i hate the pantomime routine (... hate may be a bit strong :p ). i question it's usefulness without something to feel connected to. seems like a bunch of hand waving to me. although i do like Mel's term, "Down-Up". The little zinger reels for Corporate IDs that the stationary supply stores sell help connect the dots when pantomiming "Down-Up".

in a progression, i show students a Stop + Release (shoot line) followed by a Tug + Release, then a Tug + Keep . all this done down sideways over grass.... "see it, feel it". and almost always with a line or two heavier, that way the distance is keep to minimum and yet the feel is strong.

single hauls first... a set or two in the front. and then a set or two in the back. when tension (lack of slack) seems to be under control then double hauls.

sometimes, even for rote beginners, i skip all the casting stroke mumbo jumbo and have them go right to Tug + Release. after all it's about learning to cast to catch fish not the science tech stuff that we all love.

craig

[Crackaig]

All I can say is that it worked for me. I had failed to get it for over two years with the rod in my hands. Took me only a couple of hours his way.

Cheers,
C.

[Gallah]

Philip White taught me to double haul. Well he taught me how to learn it. Practice the motion until it becomes automatic without a rod and line. Then when you do pick up a rod it will give you the timing for an action you can already perform. That said my fly casting is more functional that art, it still needs a lot of work.
Cheers,
C.

... interesting.

i hate the pantomime routine (... hate may be a bit strong :p ). i question it's usefulness without something to feel connected to. seems like a bunch of hand waving to me. although i do like Mel's term, "Down-Up". The little zinger reels for Corporate IDs that the stationary supply stores sell help connect the dots when pantomiming "Down-Up".

in a progression, i show students a Stop + Release (shoot line) followed by a Tug + Release, then a Tug + Keep . all this done down sideways over grass.... "see it, feel it". and almost always with a line or two heavier, that way the distance is keep to minimum and yet the feel is strong.

single hauls first... a set or two in the front. and then a set or two in the back. when tension (lack of slack) seems to be under control then double hauls.

sometimes, even for rote beginners, i skip all the casting stroke mumbo jumbo and have them go right to Tug + Release. after all it's about learning to cast to catch fish not the science tech stuff that we all love.

craig

I think I'm really getting the hand movements quickly, and I think my casts look okay, they're just not going any further than when I don't haul. Maybe I should upload a video.

Paul's videos on the main site helped a bit. I used them and practised in time with what he was doing.

However, I think the single best bit of instruction I've had on the double haul, where it all really [started] to click together and become automatic, was from Lefty Kreh's Ultimate Guide to Flyfishing (which is where I've learned basically everything I know, bar a lesson from Morsie and one from Paul).

He recommends that you throw out about 20 feet of line straight ahead. Then do a sideways single backcast with a haul and lay the line out straight behind you on the ground. Then a single sideways forward cast with a haul and let the line lay out on the ground in front of you. Repeat. So you're basically doing one haul each way with a break in between.

I practised that, and after I got that down, I started into an overhead backcast with a haul, straight into an overhead forward cast with a haul and laying the line out in front of me, so a proper cast with no false-casting.

After I got that down, I work in one false cast with hauls both ways.

So that's how I've been practising, and that's about where I'm up to now.

Come to think of it, I suspect my problem (i.e. the reason I can't double haul cast further than my normal cast) is not my haul, but maybe because I'm just struggling to manage all that line in the air (and I do). This is a problem regardless of whether I am hauling or not.

I can cast with no haul and no false casts about 65 feet max. with my #5, but strangely I can't cast much (or any) further than that even if I haul and put in a couple of false casts.