I'm already starting to regret getting my flyrod out again and it's not even been a month...

The mid-length version of my flyfishing history:

Years ago, my brother taught me to use a spinning rod and rubber worms to catch bucketmouth in all the local lakes.

Fewer years ago, I did a study abroad for two weeks in the Bahamas, during which I met a fishing guide who taught me how to cast using a double-haul (didn't even tell me he was teachin' me something "special"). Had a blast. Never actually fished, though.

Three years ago, I decided to buy a flyrod and try actually fishing. Turned out my brother had some flyfishing experience over on the coast, so I bought an 8wt combo from Bass Pro so I could go after bass in the lakes and still be able to go fishin' in the intercoastal.

After a year and a half of tying and trying every pattern someone told me had once tempted a bucketmouth, I got tired of never catching and put my flystuff away. (I was able to catch bluegill, but that wasn't much fun on an 8wt.)

Several months later, I decided to try again. I ended up buying a nicer flyrod, a TFO, still an 8 wt for the same reason - lake fishing for bass or go intercoastal. I also made friends with the flyshop lead at Bass, who took me fishing with him at his local pond. We caught a couple smaller buckets on gurglers in the heavy weeds.

We also went to the intercoastal flats looking for tailing redfish, but the only good I ever did was watching him reel one in. He consoled my ego by telling me sight-casting at tailing reds is towards the more difficult end of fly fishing.

Unable to reproduce the gurgler luck in any other lake, or catch buckets on any other fly I tried, I gave up again and put my flystuff away.

That was 9mos or so ago.

Now I've got my flystuff out again, back to trying to catch bucketmouth, and already getting frustrated again.

Am I attempting the impossible, here? Does anyone fish lakes for bucketmouth with any success? How 'bout Central Florida lakes?