Why wasn't I hooking fish?

by Jeff
(Aberdeen, WA)

I don't know the waters in my region. I was never a fisherman, until a hiker friend said he'd barter fishing knowledge for my building him a bridge hammock. He got the hammock, but I'm still fish-stupid.

I got my Tenkara rod 2 weeks ago and wanted to try it everywhere I could. I caught pikeminnows up to 10" with a fly on about a #12 hook at a lake from an outrigger canoe. Then I went to a small stream today and cast the same fly and got multiple "bites" but never hooked a fish. After few dozen casts and multiple bites, I started a back cast and with the cast came flying a fish maybe about 2-3" long. I guess the fish in the creek were too small for the the hook. Maybe someone can confirm or deny that guess?

Maybe tomorrow I'll drive to the Hoh River and hike/fish some.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.