Don't get what so confusing, started fly fishing this spring, wish I had bookmarked the u-tube, the guy said he could have anyone dbl-hauling in 15 minutes. Simple say "down-up" one word, take ur brain out of it. Now I dbl-haul every cast 35' to 85', 35' may only be a 6" or 8" haul but still use it all the time.
Indeed it was Mel Krieger.
Mel Krieger is the fly caster who was a mentor to Steve Rajeff and Mel wrote one of the first books devoted to fly casting, The Essence of Fly Casting in 1987. When Fenwick started the first national fly fishing schools in 1973 with Jim Green of Fenwick (Jim was a Fly Casting World Champion for distance at the age of 17) as the head of the Schools as the; Mel became the West Coast Director of the schools, Frank Gray was the Rocky Mountain Director, Gary Borger was the Midwest Director, and Jim Gilford was the East Coast Director
In his soon to be published book, The Perfect Cast I, Gary Borger recounts the day he learned about the Down-Up method of teaching the double haul from Mel Krieger.
Every year the, Jim Green and the directors of the Fenwick Schools would gather at the Federation of Fly Fishers Annual Conclave in West Yellowstone, Mt. to exchange ideas. It was at the 1975 conclave that Mel told them that he developed a method to teach the double haul motion in 15 minutes.
The directors of the Fenwick schools were some of the finest fly fishing instructors in the world. They didn't believe him and challenged Mel to teach a random group of attendants at the Conclave to double haul. Mel took them up on the challenge and they went outside and gathered up group of 20, both casters and non-casters and had them pantomiming the double haul movements.
Mel's method changed the way that the double haul was taught. It is basically the method that Bruce Chard uses in the video in an earlier post.
It is the way Jason Borger (shadow caster) learned to double haul and it is the method that Gary used to teach me the double haul. Pantomime the double haul while watching TV or sitting on the couch. It will develop muscle memory and soon the double haul motion will feel very natural.
Jason Borger recalls the day Mel Krieger forever changed the way the double haul would be taught:
Sexyloops - Mel's Gift