He missed it!

How many times have you heard someone near by say, "he missed it!"  No
he didn't, something was wrong and he decided not to eat it. Trout are
faced with many life threatening challenges but getting food in their
mouth isn't one of them. I've seen a trout put his nose under my fly
and drift downstream for three feet in frothy boiling rapids before
deciding to eat. Years ago a trout drifted downstream just under my
fly in a flat water pool for over ten feet. He never intended to eat
the fly he just wanted to see how far I could float it before it
dragged.

If you think a trout missed you fly, throw it right back and see if
he'll eat it the second time -almost never. Change flies whenever a
fish refuses your fly - sending the refused fly back over the fish
just tells him he was right the first time.

With bad weather in the forecast I went out early and fished the big
river for the first time in over a month. Never saw a bug or a rise
except to my fly. Hooked and landed four nice rainbows then got five
straight refusals.  Was back in the camp by ten.  Had obligation
during mid-day and got stormed out in the evening.

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