Defining Haul

[John Waters]

When I started this discussion I was thinking that the primary purpose of the haul was to increase line speed. Now I see that shortening line is almost as important. We may accomplish both at the same time but our intended purpose will be one or the other.

If those were the only two reasons to haul, I have to wonder why I haul on just about every cast... even short ones when I want to gently present the fly?

BTW... Mac Brown is like a walking encyclopedia of casting history. He mentioned when the double haul was introduced into the world championships... by whom and when I forget. But, his point was that the gentleman who brought the double haul into the game won that year and set a new record... but only beat the previous record by a few feet.

Whether that means the haul does not really increase distance that much, or that the previous record holder had a fantastic non-hauled distance cast... I guess... is left up to others to decide.

Hi Gary,

The history of fly casting is interesting. I cite two sources referencing Hedge's 1934 performance.

"At that time the average of the three best of five casts was used to determine the winner and Marvin Hedge averaged 136 5/6 feet with a long cast of 147. As were many of the prominent casters of that era, Marvin Hedge was a tackle rep. The longest winning average before that had been 121 2/3 feet in 1928 and the longest long cast had been 124 in 1931 so it seems that the double haul provided an edge but not a huge edge. However, in following years this changed. By 1937 an average of 176 2/3 with a long cast of 183 was recorded in the national championships." UK Fly Fishing Forum

"Acclaimed fly fishing historian, Jack W. Berryman, specialized in the history of U.S.A. West Coast and British Columbia, Canada fly angling developments. He paid homage to the much earlier traditions of fly fishing and fly casting of the U.K and Continental Europe.
In his book, Fly Fishing Pioneers & Legends of the Northwest, he informs us that Maurice “Mooch” Abraham, also known as, “Mooch Abrams”, taught the technique to Marvin Hedge. Jack wrote :
“When the Portland Casting Club reorganized in 1931, Mooch became its first honorary life mem- ber and was identified as the club’s principal coach. It was at this time, because of a shoulder injury from a previous automobile accident, Mooch began practicing what became the ‘double-haul’ tech- nique in fly casting. He introduced this method to his fellow anglers and casting club members, but especially to Marvin Hedge, whom he coached for the 1934 national casting competition in St. Louis. It was here that Hedge first introduced Mooch’s double haul into competitive casting.”

“.......Hedge beat the old mark of 125 feet, set in 1925 by 22 feet. THE NEW YORK TIMES " Loop Magazine article by Gordy Hill.

I am mystified by the UK source's comment about "not a huge edge". A 19% improvement in the longest cast is huge, even given wind variations. In those days wind speed limits were not imposed, however the 25 % performance improvement in the 3 years to 1937 would suggest wind was not a huge factor and the technique developed by Maurice Abraham became a game changer in both casting sport and recreational fly fishing.

Unfortunately, Abraham does not get a lot of kudos for the double haul. He should.

Thanks to Jack Berryman and Gordy Hill for identifying the key role Abraham played in an innovative and transformative breakthrough in fly casting technique.

John

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

John,

The part that gets my attention seems to be overlooked. Depending upon which version of history chosen, what seems not to be debated was the previous record - set without the "new" double haul technique and with the rod technology of the day... probably bamboo or "green heart"? I suspect the latter is wood?

So, "Hedge beat the old mark of 125 feet, set in 1925" means that in almost 100 years of space age technology and improved technique, very few can do what the unnamed previous caster did without hauling, while using the equivalent of stone age equipment.

That is the guy I would love to watch cast!

[John Waters]

John,

The part that gets my attention seems to be overlooked. Depending upon which version of history chosen, what seems not to be debated was the previous record - set without the "new" double haul technique and with the rod technology of the day... probably bamboo or "green heart"? I suspect the latter is wood?

So, "Hedge beat the old mark of 125 feet, set in 1925" means that in almost 100 years of space age technology and improved technique, very few can do what the unnamed previous caster did without hauling, while using the equivalent of stone age equipment.

That is the guy I would love to watch cast!

Hi Gary,

I've not overlooked the non haul fly distance record of 1925. It must have been a great cast, irrespective of the conditions. I would have loved to have seen how it was done. I agree, it would have been done with a wood rod and a silk line. I've tried to get information on that cast and the gear but to no avail. Hedge would have used a cane rod (hollow?) and a silk line also. At about the same time, shooting head lines and thin backing was introduced. It was fly casting's Fosbury Flop moment. The weight of the lines used in the 20s and 30s is also lost to time, they were a maximum 1.5 ounces in the 50s through late 80s when the weight was reduced to 38 grams. There have been 3 major rod material changes since the 20s and the ICSF event 2 single handed distance gold medal results since the 80s (graphite rods) has experienced a slight downward trend in distances. Of course conditions are always impacting performance but in the last few decades, performance could be described as having plateaued. I am sure the 125 feet mark, with that gear, could be replicated by casters today if they trained for that outcome. However, irrespective of that hypothetical, it was a great cast, no doubt.

I know Patrik Lexa surpassed 85 metres in the 38 gram single handed fly distance event in Germany a few years ago and I wonder what the next major innovation in fly casting technique and performance will be. It will be interesting to track performance trends in the fly casting single handed events (MED and 27 gram ) in the future. So far, performance is trending upwards and it is exciting to see some changes in movement patterns compared to that of traditional casting technique .

John

[Merlin]

Cane rods were available from the beginning of the 20th century. Hollow rods appeared by 1931 (Powell) and 1936 (Winston), produced by west coast rodbuilders. Hedge was known to use Winston rods, but he likely used Powell rods before. Hollow rods were designed for competition purposes. Their lower weight allowed faster rotation speed, leading to better distance.

Merlin