Haul question

Walter & Group.........

Question on the haul from Lou Bruno :

Welcome back,

Hope you did well fishing.

 

I have a question in regard to hauling. I am reading the master study guide provided by FFF. I was reading one of the chapters on hauling by Bruce Richards. In this chapter Bruce mentions the benefits we get when we haul. He states that the haul helps to load the rod. Which I don’t dispute; but my question is, “we should haul in the opposite direction that the line is traveling?” When we haul in the opposite direction it in turn creates the resistance which will load the rod.

 

What are your thoughts, and the group’s thoughts on this?

 

Lou

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My answer to Lou (before I posted the question on the Group message board.) :

Lou...

 

Good question !

 

Remember that almost all of the haul takes place just prior to loop formation and during the loading and rotational phase of the casting stroke.  If it occurred later, it would be counterproductive in that it would resist and, therefore, diminish loop speed.  We don't really haul in the opposite direction that the line is traveling for the simple reason that it is done before the line starts to travel.

(I should have added : ....before the line starts to travel past the rod tip as the loop forms.)

 

There is good agreement on the evidence that the haul, properly timed and performed does several things, chief among which are :-

 

1.) Direct increase in line and loop speed.

 

2.) Increase in rod load which, in turn, also helps to increase line speed and casting distance.

 

In addition to these primary functions, the haul can:

 

#  Diminish the energy expended by the rod arm.

 

#  Provide a feeling of good control as the caster feels the additional load.

 

#  Minimize or eliminate line slack.  (Beginner casters tend to use the haul to do just this.  This is one reason why most instructors don't teach the haul until the caster has a decent basic stroke with minimal line slack.)

 

Gordy

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2nd message from Lou:

Gordon,

 

Thanks for the info; my mind is still thinking about what specifically or how the line loads the rod when we haul. I agree, we haul prior to loop formation; but if we don’t haul in the opposite direction that the line is traveling we in effect just increase the line speed. The line weight stays the same, doesn’t it? So how does increasing the line speed create the resistance to load the rod?  It takes some resistance to bend/load the rod.

 

If I time my haul, as the group has been discussing, and haul in the opposite direction won’t I increase the line speed and create or add resistance to load/bend the rod. My line is already traveling when I time my haul. For the most part if I haul when I start my back cast the line isn’t moving. I use my haul to help get the line moving and off the water. If I haul after my line is off the water and during the turn over or rotational phase, my line is and has been moving. For the forward cast my line is and has begun to move forward before I haul. I haul, I continue to work on my haul timing, during the turn over or rotational phase of the cast. When I do I try to haul in different directions to see what affect this has on my cast.

 

Well, you and the group have me thinking, and experimenting that is for sure.

Regards

Lou

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Lou...

Yes..... your line is traveling as you haul.   It is traveling, not beyond the rod tip, but following it until RSP is reached (rod straight position) at which point the line can start to overtake the rod tip as the loop begins to form.

We might look at the rod guides and tip-top as a pulley system.  As the rod tip travels forward prior to loop formation the haul is made by pulling down with the line hand.  This does two things.  Firstly, it directly increases the line speed toward the rod tip and, second, it bends the rod further, thus increasing its load even though the mass of the line has not changed.  What does change is the force applied to that moving mass of line.  This increases resistance against the moving flexible rod tip thus increasing its bend (load).

If we haul significantly past the RSP / loop formation point, then we'd be pulling against the direction of line travel ..... so we avoid that (except for some distance competition casters who sometimes extend the haul very briefly during counterflex which immediatly follows RSP.)

Proof that the primary function of the haul is to DIRECTLY INCREASE LINE SPEED was made as we rigged a stiff broomstick with guides and a tip-top and cast with it.  Since it doesn't bend, you cannot load it.  Despite this, we gained significantly more line speed and greater casting distance when we hauled by directly increasing line speed prior to loop formation.

The second most important function of the haul, then, is that of increasing rod load.  This, in turn, also results in higher line speed .  Both increase loop speed once the loop has formed and starts to travel in the direction of the target.

By far the most important portion of the casting stroke is the rotational phase, because a small amount of angular movement of the hand and rod butt, result in much greater movement of the rod tip in the same period of time.  It is during this time that the haul is most effective.

From the perspective of power application, most casters find that it is most efficient to apply haul power as a mirror image of the power applied by the casting arm.

The haul can be very helpful when doing a, "water haul" .  With it the caster can more easily lift line from the water with nicely controlled increasing line speed.

Gordy