Walter & Group........
From Al Crise on defining the double haul:
Morning Gordy –
Not to take anything away from Joan’s opinions and definitions, but personally I prefer the “other” definition – meaning that the double haul is utilizing a line pull on both the back and forward strokes of a full casting cycle. Since the term was coined sometime around the time that Marvin Hedges infamously used the technique in the late 30’s to win his casting championship, it seems that the definition should follow accurately from that point and be maintained.
Therefore, by definition, a triple haul can only be employed on a final delivery cycle – as you noted below Gordy. I’d warn any prospective MCCI candidates that might be testing under Tom Jindra to AVOID using a triple haul during examination. Seems to be one of Tom’s pet peeves. He considers it generally poor casting form to rely on a triple haul on a regular basis. He and I shared some rather heated discussions concerning this very technique (which he refers to as a “gimmick”), which ultimately led me to cancel my MCCI testing plans. To this day, I’ll use ANY worthwhile line control technique which will achieve a desired result – even if it doesn’t follow “classic” flycasting form and style.
Incidentally, I’d add one more use for the check haul. The one I use it most frequently to achieve. That is, to encourage turnover on a cast when it would NOT have had sufficient energy to unroll fully on its own. This may be when I’m using too big/resistant a fly for the line/leader combination – but it’s all I’ve got at that point. Fishing bluegills with a 5 weight and little #10 popper, then find a BIG bass 60 feet away that I want to throw a #1 hair bug at (still using the 5 weight). It’s about the only way to deliver it. Or casting long into a stiff breeze, and the loop keeps failing to unroll fully. You reach a point where your loops are launched perfectly, but still the wind cannot be overcome downrange. If you can get it most of the way out there and take your check haul, you can usually get it to accelerate forward and cut that wind. Like kicking in an afterburner, right when you need it. Tournament cast technique? No way. Fishing casts? You betcha.
Regards -- TAM
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Troy ...
Well.....My own preference is the same as yours. I've read that Marvin Hedge did use it successfully in distance competition, and it is likely that other casters used it before that ....but I do not know if it was described or defined in the casting literature before Joan wrote her, ....FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES in 1987. I didn't find it in books before hers such as those written by Frank Steel, Vincent Marinaro. Ernest Schwiebert does state that the double haul was long ago used by Dick Miller and Peter Schwab. Perhaps they described it in print, though I haven't seen it. In his, TROUT, (p. 1272) he states that the single haul had been used for about a century before the double haul became popular after 1934.
The earliest brief mention of the movements that we would later call a double haul which I could find, was in Charles Ritz', THE LIFE OF A FLY FISHER pp. 168-169 as he describes fishing the Andelle with Albert Godart in May of 1947. He didn't call it that, but after describing the single haul on the forward cast (p. 25 ), he goes on to note Albert making a, "pull with the left hand..." on his back cast.
I use the, "triple haul" or, "check haul" just the way you describe it. At the same time, I wonder if Tom Jindra meant that this was a gimmick if used to turn over a leader when the caster ought to be able to turn it over without using it as when, for example, a candidate needs it to gain a straight leader layout when doing the distance cast task (???????).
Jason Borger describes the, "check haul" and the, "triple haul" in his, The Nature of Fly Casting, pp 223-224.
Gordy -- Regarding the notion that 'the giving back of line' is not part
of many casting writers' definitions of the haul and double haul.
Mel Krieger frequently uses the term 'downup,' in which 'up' which
suggests the giving back of line. His /Essence/ book illustrations
suggest that the double haul includes a single downup motion during both
back and fore casts. Mac Brown also teaches and writes of the single
haul and double as both 'down and up movement.' George Roberts on the
other hand, teaches similar to the Wulff camp, stating that 'for a
single haul on the back cast, the line hand stops abruptly at the end of
the haul and remains there. . .'
Best to you and the group,
David Lambert
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David ....
I agree fully. I didn't mean that the giving back of line via the, "up" movement had been ignored when I said it wasn't part of the equation, but that it was not part of their distinction between single and double haul. With Joan, the giving back of line or not is the distinction. As I understand George Roberts, he takes that stand as well.
One could argue as to whether or not we have a double haul if we pull on both the back cast and the forward cast without giving back line at all after either pull. (An argument which is probably unimportant since this is rarely done, as far as I know.)
As we dig into the literature, we do find a couple of examples of definition for the double haul which do not include any description of, "up" or giving back of line .... as in Ed Jaworski's, THE CAST , (P. 218). To quote from his Glossary: " DOUBLE HAUL: 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."
Lefty makes no mention of an, "up" motion or of giving back line in his description of the double haul in his, "Advanced Fly Casting", either. Of course we know that he as well as Ed do use and teach the technique of giving back line.
Point is, I think, that almost all casters and authors DO give line back after the pull most of the time. They just don't make the giving back of line a central issue as to the difference between single haul and double haul. With Joan's way of looking at it, one could make a back cast using no line pull at all, then follow it with a forward cast with a line pull and a giving back of line .....and call that a double haul.
I have no quarrel with Joan's distinction at all .... my object is simply to have everyone know the two existing ways of describing single and double hauls.
This will get some lively discussion when our Glossary Committee gets to these definitions !
Gordy