It all depends on what you deem successful.

Being able to catch the most fish?
Being able to catch the biggest fish?
Being able to CONSISTENTLY catch the most fish?
Being able to CONSISTENTLY catch the biggest fish?
Being able to CONSISTENTLY snag your fly in the trees?
Being able to CONSISTENTLY hook the back of your melon?
Now the LAST TWO, I'M A PROFESSIONAL! JEDI MASTER!!! No need to use the force..really.

Now me, folks, I go out to with one objective: To catch A (AYYYYYYY) fish. Period.
Everything else above that...is 'icing on the cake', pure and simple. Do I care if it's a shiner? No.

I have friends who catch a GA-ZILLION trout to my handful....and you know what? Who cares. That 'one' , is all I go for. I catch that 'one' and hold it in my hands; marvel at the colours (maybe kiss it if I've got the right colour lipstick on that day!) and put it back in the water for next time. Feels great! That's my game plan.

Success to me is being able to adapt, read, ascertain a situation on the water and put it all together using what marbles are left in your head, to figure out a way to make a water organism think that fur and feathers twirled on a hook, equals something good to eat. As someone once called it,'breaking the code' to me as a fisherman, means success. So when you see a cased caddis crawling on the waterbed, DON"T (like I once did) PUT ON A CLOUSER MINNOW! THAT'S NOT BREAKING THE CODE! THAT'S CALLED DOING SOMETHING STUPID!
But a lot of it is trial and error....experience is the best teacher in life, as well as listening to everyone around you. For, everyone in this world has something to teach. You just have to be willing to listen.

And as far as luck.....
If you have enough health to actually BE fishing; to enjoy the beauty of this earth all around you while fishing....well then who the heck cares about catching a fish? OK..ok..it IS about catching at least a fish. But really, to be standing in the middle of that river or water or whatever, with the beauty of nature all around......I'd say you're pretty damn lucky.

Cheers everybody!

Bad Luck Larry