Next to mastering the proper casting stroke, the double haul is viewed as the most important tool a fly caster, particularly in saltwater, can learn.

Many fly fishers still think of the haul as solely a method for increasing distance and may not realise that it also produces additional and equally important advantages. The technique of hauling also assists in line control, overcoming the effects of wind, presenting bigger flies and generally allows you to cast with less effort.  Another major benefit is the control of slack between the line-hand and the first guide of the fly rod to maintain the taut line required for good fly casting.

This hauling movement has been comprehensively dissected and analyzed and there are numerous opinions as to the correct method for the execution of the movement.  Like other aspects of fly casting, there are many varying styles, which in the hands of experienced casters, work efficiently.

In this two part article, the some of the different aspects of hauling will be covered to enable you to learn, improve and employ the haul more effectively.

What is a Haul

There are many different opinions of what constitutes a single and a double haul.

Ed Jaworski, in the glossary of his publication “The Cast” defines the double haul as “A technique to increase line speed and rod load involving pulling the line sharply with the line hand during both the back and forward casts."

Other authors of fly casting literature describe hauling in several ways :-

A single haul is the pull with the line hand during either back cast or forward cast, but not both.

A double haul is the pull with the line hand during both the back cast and the forward cast.

Others refer to the action of pulling and giving line back as constituting a double haul.

Joan Wulff on the other hand has described in her writing and teaches that “a single haul is performed by pulling with the line hand and not giving back line back during either the forward or the back cast, or both”.

 Throughout this article, for simplicity and to avoid confusion, references to hauling will mean:

A haul is made up of a pull with the line hand and give back of line during the pause.

A pull done on either the back cast or forward cast but not both constitutes a single haul.

When the haul is performed on both the backcast and the forward cast it is referred to as a double haul.

How does hauling effect the cast?

The haul has 2 effects:

1.         It increases the load of the rod by increasing its bend.

The rod tip is moving fastest between the stop of the rod butt section, and the RSP (rod straight position).  The faster it moves, the more energy is transferred to the line and this translates to faster line speed. The faster the line speed, the further the loop will travel.

In making the haul, the caster pulls with the line hand as the rod is accelerating forward.  This pull is against the “dead weight” of the line which is moving more slowly than the accelerating rod tip. This results in further bending the already bent rod.  The increased bend in the rod stores more energy which is later released at the stop, thus translating to more line speed.

2.       Apart from the bending effect on the rod, a haul also directly increases line (loop) speed.

In demonstrating this effect, you could make a rod out of a broom stick, to eliminate the bending/loading aspect, and note marked increase in line speed with a haul. 

Gordon Hill, a FFF Master Casting Instructor uses an easy to understand explanation this way: 

“Think of the guides and the tip top as a pulley.  If you pull on a rope which goes through a pulley, you can move the rope on the other side of that pulley.  The faster you pull on your end, the faster the rope moves on the other end.

Now, when you make a haul, you pull the fly line through this “pulley” (the rod tip)...........and the faster you pull it, the faster the speed of the line on the other side of this “pulley”

The faster the line is moving toward the rod tip at the RSP, the faster it moves as it overtakes the rod tip and forms the loop.....and, consequently, the faster that loop will be propelled in the direction the rod tip was moving when it came to a stop.”

Length and speed of haul

How aggressively (length and speed) you haul depends mainly on the stiffness or action of the rod and how much load it being applied to make the cast in a particular situation. 

A haul using a 9 foot stiff rod throwing 60 feet of line will differ significantly from one you’d use with slow action 9 foot rod, casting the same distance. The same haul on both would probably result in a very modest load on the fast action, whereas it would result in a much deeper load on the slow action rod.

The key to remember is it to use a haul that not only increases line speed to the desired level, but also does not compromise the straight line path of the tip.

Is it possible to haul the line faster than the rod’s movement? Look on the rod as a long lever which greatly magnifies the speed of the tip and consequently, it is likely that the rod tip is moving a lot faster than any speed achieved with the line hand.

A simplistic way of looking at this aspect of length/speed is, “short cast….short haul and long cast….long haul.” and match the speed of haul that is appropriate to the stiffness of the rod.

When to start and finish in stroke sequence

When considering when to start and finish there are a couple of important points to bear in mind.  The rod tip is moving fastest between the stop of the rod butt section and the RSP and the loop begins to form at the rod straight position. This is the moment when the line starts to overtake the movement of the rod tip. It then follows that the peak “pull” of the haul should be at the point of maximum pressure on the rod from the rod hand, prior to the stop. 

That’s when it’s best to haul if you are going to use a very short, crisp haul.  Most distance casters however haul throughout the entire stroke..... the pull with the line hand is a mirror image of the application of force with the rod hand, with the peaks of pressure of both at the same instant.

Having looked at the optimum time to start and finish, it is also important to consider the negative effects of incorrect timing.  For example, a haul done suddenly in the middle of a casting stroke or completed too early, can yield a spike of rod load that will cause the rod tip to dip and then return to the original path in the stroke.  That’s a concave rod tip path which can yield a tailing loop. 

If the haul is continued after the RSP you are, in essence, pulling on the bottom leg. This effect will speed up the top leg forcing an earlier turnover and shorten the cast. In situations such as when using large flies or long leaders, this technique to cause early turn over can be used to assist in presentation.

Part II of this article will cover some easy steps to learning the haul as well as some common problems casters experience and some easy ways to correct them to improve the efficiency of your hauling.