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Walter & Group...
[GH] Captain Ernie French is a well known saltwater fly fishing guide at Montauk, Long Island. His question:
Gordy,
You mention open and closed stance often. I have always referred to an open stance as in baseball when you bunt or open your body to face the pitcher and a closed stance as showing your side to the pitcher. In tennis as well you are facing the net with an open stance. Is this consistent in casting?
Ernie French
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[GH] Ernie,
Good question !
So often we assume these terms are used the same way by everybody when that is not the case. Many fly casting instructors and authors don't even use those terms.
It's different than as described in baseball jargon.
I look at stance as being a matter of STYLE. i.e. What works best for a particular casters body, the cast to be made, the fishing objectives, the wind,whether or not fishing from a rocking skiff, and the wading situation.
Sometimes it graduates from a matter of style to one of SURVIVAL ! (Surf, soft sand or mud, a powerful roaring river, slippery rocks... etc.)
Assuming we are choosing a stance while on grass while teaching:
CLOSED STANCE: Shoulders square to the target. Facing it. Feet not widely apart. Most prefer to have the foot on the casting arm side slightly behind the other, or square to the target and in line with the shoulders.
USE: - Short and medium distance accuracy.
- Short and medium distance casts from shore or while wading. Relatively calm water.
- Used often by casters embracing a vertical or almost vertical rod plane (casting plane).
OPEN STANCE: Joan Wulff described it this way, "This is the most versatile stance for rods of different actions and lengths. Your body faces sideward to the target (90degrees) and your feet are placed, one ahead of the other, left foot pointing at the target, right foot dropped back and turned out 90 degrees'" (She is assuming the caster is right handed.) *
In her new book, she adds, "Rotation of the hips is necessary to keep the path of your rod hand on a straight line. **
USE: - Long casts.
- Casting with long or heavy rods.
- Some expert casters use this for most of their casting and fishing.
Lefty Kreh doesn't use the terms, "closed stance" / "open stance". He writes:
"When making a very short cast, you do not need to place your foot behind you, especially if you have sure footing. When fishing in faster-moving water or on a boat deck, you may want to spread your legs apart for balance, but it is not essential to aid your cast."
"When casting a medium distance, spread your feet a little wider so that your body weight is evenly distributed between the two feet. As you make the backcast, shift your weight to your rear foot. On the forward cast, swivel your body and shift your weight back to the front let, while accelerating the forearm to a stop and making a short haul on the line."
"Place your rear foot farther back for a longer cast. This permits the rod arm to reach farther back and also allows the body to swivel more and aid in casting. "
" If you are right-handed, position your right foot well behind you and your left foot slightly forward. Left-handers should do the reverse. This allows you body to swivel and the arm to easily move back and forth. On longer casts, it reduces the strain on your rotator cuffs"
His accompanying photos show these stance modifications . He follows with a lot more detail in text. ***
Here is another approach:
Al Kyte describes three basic stances in his ORVIS GUIDE TO BETTER FLY CASTING ****:
1. SQUARED STANCE. "In a squared stance you face the target squarely without dropping either foot back." He prefers this for teaching beginning students.
2. OPEN STANCE. "Some casting instructors start their students with the casting side dropped back, as if the student was preparing to throw a ball." He feels that timing is best taught that way, because the student can turn and see his back cast.
3. CLOSED STANCE. "Occasionally I see a person with the casting side and foot forward, rather than back. I see this closed stance in top tournament casters, when working on accuracy."
Al adds: "Although I start students with the grip and stance I believe work best for most people - a squared stance, with the thumb providing support behind the forward cast - this is a STYLE choice, and not the only correct technique."
HAVING SAID ALL THIS, I GOT TO THINKING.... IF YOU AND I ARE OUT IN YOUR SKIFF ON A ROUGH DAY WITH THE WIND HOWLING AT MONTAUK, ALL THIS GOES OUT THE WINDOW !!!
Best,
Gordy
* Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, by Joan Wulff, 1987, pp.111-115 (Note sketches on p.113 & 114).
** Joan Wulff's NEW FLY-CASTING TECHNIQUES, by Joan Wulff, 2012, pp.82-83 (Sketch on p. 83).
*** CASTING with LEFTY KREH, by Lefty Kreh, 2008, pp. 19-20.
**** ORVIS GUIDE TO BETTER FLY CASTING, by Al Kyte, 2008, pp. 12-16.
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