<p>So . . . how was it? How many did you catch? This is always the question for every fisherman, right? Whether I’m talking to my friends about a fishing trip from last week, or as I walked in the door this evening, my wife asked the same question — how many fish did you catch?</p><p>It’s a fair question. Because that’s the goal out there (usually). We go fishing to catch fish. But the answers we give can also reveal a different story.</p><p><em>“Well, I caught eight this morning, but I missed another handful underneath. And when I was fishing dry flies, I had a few refusals. While fishing streamers, another three fish slammed my fly but didn’t eat it. And I lost the biggest trout of the day when he popped off during the fight.”</em></p><p>Every angler has these same kinds of stories.</p><p>So I think we’d all agree that the primary goal out there — the first and most important goal of fishing — is to fool a fish. To make that trout believe that what you’re offering is worthwhile — to ...