The thing that messed me up was the fact that I can't place an accurate short cast -- 20 feet or less -- years of striving for 80 and 100 footers has conditioned my arm to double haul and heave, not delicately flip over a tiny cast right where the fish are going to be. Smart fish, weather, I could make a million excuses but in reflection my failure came down to two things: can't cast short and you need to see the fish take the fly to make the hook-up. The strip-strike-lift is definitely a matter of experience. How're things going down there? Are you in the high season now? DCC