Double Haul!

I finaly got it! After hearing about it, reading about it and watching about a gazillion you-tube vids, and thinking "That just doesn't even look real", I actualy went out and practiced a little.
 
It's not a bazooka blasting, line seering, guide melting projection of piscatorial prowess, but what the heck, I gotta start somewhere! Staying with my usual practice of bouncing off of wrong to find right, I back cast then gave a tug on the forecast. Nothing. Tried a few more times, and actualy got about a foot of line to shoot. A bunch of stuff rattled around in my head about the back cast and keeping the line high, so I finally gave a tug on the line to start the back cast. I actually felt the rod load up that time, and my forecast fully extended! Next one, I tried the double, and Zing, out went the line. Tried that a few more times, and by gosh, It worked! The line fully aerialized and shot right out through the guides. It looked downright freaky the way it wiggled through the air and shot across the yard!
 
So a couple of hours of practice later, and I still have some consistency bugs to work out, but at least now I have something to work with. I should thank you guys for some of those endless threads on lines, loops, loading, and all of the other stuff that you guys put out there for us noobs to pick up.
 
Thanks!
 
 
 
 
 

Double Hauling is great on big water! Now, another great cast is the hinge cast. That lets you stand in front of a waterfall or bank and cast toward it, but causing a hinge to form in your line so that most of the tippet and leader land parallel to the object with is perpendicular to you! 

I somewhat know what you mean with the rod wanting to take off. Previously I was letting it drift back further and pivot at the wrist a bit, missing the loading. One of the bugs I have to work out is to quit doing that. The other is letting it happen. Instead of letting the line go fully back, I fire forward too soon resulting in a pile of line a few feet in front of me. Those are a little disappointing but comming along.
 
Luvinbluegills, I am realy looking forward to hitting some big water with it too. Last year I kept wadin out to where I wanted to cast to and never managed to make it home dry. At least this year I shouldn't have to wade half way across the Yough to get to a spot where I can hit a nice hole. A nice long drift ought to help catch some fish too.
 
So whats a tuck cast?
 
 
 
 

pete when you talk about letting the rod drift back that comes a problem if you've stopped the back cast and the rod arm then continues to drift. But letting the rod arm extend back then a standard stop extends the length of cast w/ the added double haul. You create a long casting arch. Not the normal 10-2 idea thats taught. This extended casting arch will take some getting used to so that you don't drift the rod after the stop in the cast.

Hopefully I didn't make that to mixed up to understand.

Quick hint: stand w/ your body quartered to the cast so that you can view your back cast.

ORIGINAL: PeteM

I somewhat know what you mean with the rod wanting to take off. Previously I was letting it drift back further and pivot at the wrist a bit, missing the loading. One of the bugs I have to work out is to quit doing that. The other is letting it happen. Instead of letting the line go fully back, I fire forward too soon resulting in a pile of line a few feet in front of me. Those are a little disappointing but comming along.

Luvinbluegills, I am realy looking forward to hitting some big water with it too. Last year I kept wadin out to where I wanted to cast to and never managed to make it home dry. At least this year I shouldn't have to wade half way across the Yough to get to a spot where I can hit a nice hole. A nice long drift ought to help catch some fish too.

So whats a tuck cast?

A tuck cast is the instant stopping of the rod at a certain position to get your fly to dive into the water first..  I'd guess I do the stop at about 1 o'clock.  Think about it like this:  Everytime you roll cast, false cast, etc.. you fly line touches the water first, then you leader lays out, then finally your fly.  The tuck cast does exactly the opposite; the flies dive (literally) into the water with your leader then line following.  Once you play around with it for while, try throwing an upstream mend in the middle of tuck.  Therefore, your fly goes straight down and after cast mending will not be necessary.  It happens fast and may seem a bit odd reading it, but it is simple and effective.  Anytime I'm nymphing and the water has a bit of color (or I'm not concerned with spooking fish), I tuck cast, not matter the species.

Thanks for the description. That looks like it could be very handy around here in some of the closer/faster situations.
 
Is that where you find it most usefull, or do you guys like it as a good general nymphing cast?