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One can begin to believe this potential by comparing the results of throwing line with one hand versus throwing it with one’s finger acting as a moving pulley. But the rod is NOT a perfect “pulley” system as the finger is. It is a fleeting formation and rapidly changing. The “pulley” clearly decreases in size and extends further up the rod as rotation continues. How much it contributes to an actual cast needs to be determined with high speed photography. But the forward haul is universally recognized as a major boost in line speed, so this mechanism or something similar needs to be invoked to explain that boost.
Note, the rod can only be modeled as a rigid lever as long as Force is constant. The addition of the haul erases that simplicity. The additional force IS going to flex the rod further, variably due to taper differences. This is modeled as the spring between the pulley and the lever. Further flexion will reduce the advance of the pulley.
And, all of this, as with the other models, is only occurring during a fleeting millisecond….and is dependent on a host of other variables of the rod characteristic and the caster’s hand position, speed, timing, etc.
The more efficient pulley effect is going to occur in the most rigid system. This means a faster tapered rod will have a more efficient pulley effect. But, as always, there are trade-offs. More flexion is going to result in more time in this hauled-acceleration phase. The “best” is going to be a balance between all these complex forces and models. Skill!!
My best guess is that, with a slower tapered rod, the increase in flexion favors the second model…increased force and more time in the acceleration phase, and a faster tapered rod favors the pulley effect. That is on my part, sheer conjecture. But rod taper DOES play a potentially serious role during the Acceleration phase IF one throws in a haul. That is further reason why my rod predictive model includes a taper factor. I will address that later.
Overall, the effect of a haul on the cast dynamics has been un-charted territory…at least to my knowledge. I have never read any attempt to dissect and model it before. What is really needed is high speed video analysis which would allow a careful breakdown of the various elements. I am fully prepared to be proven wrong on some or all of my analysis. But I believe I am on firm ground at projecting the potential of each of these models. If nothing more, I would hope this discussion would stimulate others to jump in and take on the task.
Coming........The Unloading Phase.....The Loop....Tapers, Stiffness, and Rebound.