Philip Monahan

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: I understand that you might want a really short rod for small streams and a 10-footer for float-tube fishing or steelheading, but when you’re buying a trout-weight rod (say 4 through 7), how do you decided whether you want an 8-1/2 footer or a 9-footer? Most companies...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: Blood knot or surgeon’s knot, and why? Evan P., Berkeley, CA Answer: I am a blood-knot guy. It’s the one I learned first, and I’ve tied it enough that I can tie a blood knot well every time (pretty quickly, I might add). Plus, it’s a beautiful knot—elegant and...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: You’ve written several pieces about which knots to use for terminal tackle, but nothing about the other kind of common fly-fishing knots: the unintended ones you create because of wind or bad casting. A guide once told me that about half his job was untangling other...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: What do you think is the coolest fly-fishing destination that most anglers don't know about? I'm not asking you to reveal any secret spots, just under-publicized places more anglers should consider. Bill P., Sea Girt, NJ Answer: Well, I know what my answer would be...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: I am just learning to fly fish, and I don’t understand mending. How do I know when to mend upstream or downstream? Connor, Manchester, NH Answer: Mending is an aspect of fly-line control that many anglers have trouble with. Here’s a very simple definition: mending is the...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us [email protected]. Question: My husband and I are heading west this summer to float the Madison. We've only fished out of a drift boat once before, and we kept tangling lines. How can I avoid that — and the ensuing glares from the old man — on this trip? Sheila C., Bethesda, Maryland Answer: When I...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: Okay, now I know to carry bear spray, but I see lots of photos of anglers fishing near bears without a confrontation. How can you tell the difference between a bear that’s minding its own business and one that’s going to be a problem? Todd S., New York City Answer: First...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: What is the best thing to do when a caddis hatch is coming off and a feeding frenzy is on, but the river is full of bubbles and the caddis are a size 18's or 20's and you can't see your fly very well, although you dry up about every fourth cast? The Birddog, via email...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: How can I better set the hook when fishing size 20 and smaller hooks? I have such a hard time getting small hooks into fish—even small fish, especially when swinging emergers. I get frustrated feeling the tug, only to set the hook and pull the fly right out of the fish's...

Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at [email protected]. Question: What's the best way to present a dry fly or a nymph to a fish holding behind a midstream rock? I have trouble getting any kind of good drift. Pete C., Wellington, NZ Answer: One of the first things a fly fisher learns is that trout like to sit behind rocks. (They also like...