How to beat the wind

The Casting Connection

October 2024

By Capt. Scott Swartz

Scott Swartz founded the Atlanta Fly Fishing School, which began in 1999. It is the largest such operation in the Southeast and the only Trout Unlimited “Gold Endorsed” school in the United States. His Florida Fly Fishing Schools started in 2008, helping anglers learn to successfully fly fish in saltwater.

Q. I need the double haul for an upcoming trip. How do I learn it?

A. The best advice is to seek an instructor. The double haul is a technique where any errors in timing prevent it from being as beneficial as possible. Once you learn a cast with faults it is hard to unlearn them. The double haul has you moving each hand differently with your rod hand casting and your line hand traveling “down-up” pulling and returning line.

So, what does the double haul do? It increases line speed. Period. That’s it! If your line is moving 15 miles-per-hour faster, then you can overcome a 15 mile-per-hour wind.

Assuming you have seen the double haul performed, and have a concept of what you need to do, let’s get started.

The double haul is a tool you need when the wind is blowing. Photo by Polly Dean.

First, let’s look at the pull of the line we call a haul. Some say “pull short”, others “pull long”, still others “pull fast” or “pull slow”. The perfect haul is when the line hand pull matches the rod hand’s cast. In a normal cast we start slow, accelerating through the cast, and finishing fastest before a stop. Adding a haul with the line hand is a mirror image in timing. When the rod hand accelerates the cast, the line hand accelerates the pull. Generating maximum pull when the rod tip reaches maximum speed is important. If you are making a short easy cast, make a short easy haul. If you are trying to cast to the next zip code, then match a big haul to a big cast.

Easy…right? The concept is easier to grasp than the application.

Mastering equal movement and symmetry of hands moving in different directions is like rubbing your tummy and patting your head. It takes a minute.

Here are techniques we use to help students learn. First, put the rod down and pantomime hauling. Pantomime eliminates the distraction of casting, builds muscle memory of what the hands are expected to do, and allows you to do it all slowly. Pantomime for perfection, not for speed. Speed will come. The more time you give to this exercise the easier it will be when you pick the rod back up.

The beauty about pantomime is you can do it anywhere anytime, although it draws attention waiting at red lights. Do it anyway! To get a better feel pantomiming the “down-up” motion, of pulling down and returning line back up, we give students a long rubber band and have them hook it over the thumb of their casting hand, grabbing the free end with the line hand. When you pantomime casting, the stretch reminds you to return line up at the end of each cast.

Next, when you pick the rod up and attempt the actual double haul, make only one half of the cast at a time. Make a single haul letting the line fall to the ground. Next make another single haul, again letting the line fall to the ground. It helps to perform these half casts in a side arm fashion in front of you rather than overhead. Making single haul casts gives you time to think and prepare between hauls. When each half of the cast feels right, try putting the two single hauls together into the double haul.

Finally, when you have a smooth double haul continue the horizontal casting in front of you, but “choke-up” on the rod by tucking the reel under your arm and placing your casting hand up near the stripping guides. With less rod length to cast you are more dependent on the haul and its line speed to get the job done. This handicap will get you dialed in on timing for maximum benefit.

Hauling happens fast which is why it is easy to make errors in timing. At school we use slow-motion video, large screens and coaching apps, but with a smart phone and a friend to video, you can do the same.

Learning the double haul takes effort but makes casting easier and saves the day when the wind picks up or you need more distance!

Send comments or your casting questions to: Scott@AtlantaFlyFishingSchool.com