Hi BC,
I'm glad the day turned around for you and you had a good day, you did the right thing and stuck it out and went back to basics! I've had some great days at the Gorge and some that I wondered if the trout gods were punishing me for something.
I have to say that most of my bad days were during low water and late in the season the fishing was just plain tough. I also spent many nights fishing the big hole trying to catch those fish rising just off the far bank and being rewarded by a chub taking my fly before a trout could reach it.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1339190024.424321.jpg
If you keep going you'll put the puzzle together a little bit at a time and before long your good days will outnumber the bad. The only advice I would pass on is watch those guys nymph fishing who are consistently successful they are the ones who have solved the puzzle.
Good Fishing, Roger