Paul Arden | Saturday, 1 April 2023
I was trying to keep this method a secret before the next World Championships but rumour has got around that I have found a way of dramatically increasing the effectiveness of the Double Haul. And so in true Sexyloops fashion, I shall share this technique with you now.
As many of you will know I’ve starting long distance triathlon training again, and it was during a two-hour training run, some months ago, that I thought that my legs have really become strong. It was then that the thought crossed my mind that I should try double hauling with them.
It makes a lot of sense, after all our legs are stronger than our arms and while the length of the haul is obviously longer, the real question was, would hauling with our feet be faster than hauling with our hands, and if so by how much?
It turns out that hauling with our feet is 73% faster than hauling with our hands. That is very significant, particularly in casting sport where so many of us are, or at least were until now, throwing similar distances.
But it’s not just an advanced competition technique and there are excellent fishing applications too. For example, taking fast shots here in Malaysia, or in tropical saltwater, or even for casting into a particularly strong headwind.
The “Kick Haul”, as I call it, is undoubtedly going to transform how we approach fly casting. While I don’t think it will completely replace the traditional arm-driven double haul, there can be no question that when you need your absolute highest line speed, then this is the method for you.
And it’s not difficult to learn. For developing this technique, I think that external cues are best. For the backcast haul I imagine I’m kicking someone in the stomach – really try to knock the wind out of them! For the forward cast “kick haul”, once again, similar height, similar enthusiasm.
The only disadvantage I can see with this technique is when fishing in cold climates. Because by necessity you hold the flyline between your toes, wearing boots is simply not an option. And if it’s very cold you actually have a chance of catching frostbite. Yes we all love our fishing, but if you lose your toes though exposure, then you won’t be able to fish this method effectively during the summer months.
So if it is cold then I suggest simply kicking your shoes off for those more important longer casts, and at all other times keep them on.
Now of course, if you are an experienced distance caster, you might be thinking that a limitation of this technique is restricted stroke length. Normally in distance casting, we shift weight between feet, which allows both the transfer of momentum, as well as a longer stroke length. The solution in our case is: hopping.
When maximum, all-out distance is required, begin the forward stroke by taking a hop in that direction. For your maximum carry backcast, hop in that direction. By hopping backwards and forwards huge distances can be obtained.
I would actually recommend that you practise your hop separately. You can try this at home; you don't need to be on the water. I’ve been working on this for some time now, as you can tell from the photos, and I think with practise it should be possible to hop up to six feet in either direction.
One final thought, is that not only will this technique be a game changer in single handed fly casting, but the implications it has on the double handed (dildo) flycasting scene are enormous. Take salmon fishing for example, imagine what huge distances will be obtained with a fast, well-timed kick haul.
Cheers, Paul