Ask the Expert: "Fine Lines" on MidCurrent

This week Phil Monahan, former long-time editor of American Angler magazine, will begin responding to reader-submitted questions in a new section of our site and homepage called “Fine Lines.” He starts with something very simple: how to unravel prepackaged leaders without creating a bird’s nest.
But Phil intends to cover all aspects of fly-fishing — from knots and rigging to angling tactics to fish biology. As he notes, “Over many years as a guide and editor, I have come in contact with a lot of experts — people who know a heck of a lot more about these subjects than I do — and I’ll use these sources to formulate the best possible answers to your queries.”
We’re hoping visitors will flood us with questions, with this caveat: If you submit a question, try to make it as specific as possible. If you ask “How do I fish a nymph?” the subject is too large — enough to fill a couple of books –and we’d end up just scratching the surface. The most useful questions will be extremely specific, allowing us to cover the topic completely. A question such as “What’s the best way to fish a nymph behind a midstream boulder?” will let us really dig into the nitty-gritty details of rigging, positioning, and presentation — stuff that you can immediately put to use on the water. To submit your question, simply email it to Phil at [email protected].