Lefty Kreh wrote: "I have observed thousands of fly fishermen in a lifetime of fly fishing, and I now believe that almost every caster uses the double haul incorrectly or at least inefficiently--and that includes many great casters with whom I have been lucky enough to fish."

With that in mind, it's no wonder we might get conflicting advice. the following might be of help. To summarize the basics of casting:

1. All casting strokes (fore and back) are divided into two parts: a relatively long motion in which the rod is gradually accelerated and an ending motion with a much shorter and faster speed-up-and-stop of the tip or as expert Mel Kreiger puts it the "Whoomp!"

2. The shorter the distance the rod tip travels during the speed-up-and-stop, the tighter the loop will be and a tight loop translates to line speed and distance.

3. The faster the rod tip accelerates over that final short distance of the speed-up-and-stop and the quicker it stops, the faster the line will travel.

4. The rod tip should start low as you begin your cast with a line that is on the water.. Both rod hand and line hand are close together at the start. After the initial tug (not really the haul) on the line to break water tension and as the rod rises and loads, your line-hand follows your rod-hand and they are kept approximately the same distance apart.

5. The haul is short (inches) and hardly noticeable and occurs during the speed up and stop at the end of the back cast. Note: Why is this rearward haul desirable or necessary? This part of the double haul creates extra line speed for:----(a) shooting line back as you prepare to start you forecast and load the rod. and----(b.)

This extra speed translates into a bigger rod load without excess line out (an overload) in your backcast. In effect you've loaded the rod with a load based on speed, not line weight.... As the line starts forward then, considering just the rods effect, the rod now is supercharged by being flexed with the speed load but with a shorter and therefore lighter line load which translates into forward line speed.

6. The forward cast begins and your rod-hand and line-hand stay at equal distance apart. The line hand has to move forward and down slightly ahead of the rod hand or exactly with it (keeps you hands from crossing) until the haul is made during the speed-up-and-stop. The short haul (a few inches)is made during the speed up and stop portion of the cast with both hands stopping at the same time. ,

. This completes the double haul-portion of the cast. From this point you can shoot line, lower the rod, allow the line to settle, etc. Many folks do confuse the haul or pull off the water and the longer reach with both hands and the line hand movement therein with the double haul when reaching for distance. It is likely and seems that with many fine distance casters that when you open and extend your cast when going for distance that the line hand does mimic the rod hand as you bring it forward in that it smoothly accelerates (wideing the gap between the hands) in conjunction with the smooth acceleration portion of the cast just prior to the speed up and stop of the rod hand and the short fast haul (talked about above)of the line hand.