I really appreciate your support.

In raw form, before the not-catching comes into play, I enjoy fly fishing so much more than the other methods I know. It's just so frustrating, though. I know people say, "It's called fishing, not catching." But if you NEVER catch, it's called "Not Catching", not fishing.

To give proper thanks, I'd like to respond to you individually:

ohiotuber: I have actually made several such posts in the past (during my 1st and 2nd attempts at flyfishin'), but perhaps it's time for another... and I'd happily take all the fishin' buddies I can find - right now I'm stuck flyfishin' next to spincasters who are actually catchin'. Which, of course, just adds to my disheartenment. (I had to look it up, but that actually is a word.)

DShock: I actually am after largemouth bass (a.k.a. bucketmouth). The couple redfish trips were just my friend saying, "I'm going fishin; you probably won't catch anything, but wanna come and try?" I've found I can pretty much catch bluegill on demand, I just don't do it much because it's not much fun on an 8wt, and I'm not buying another rod until I learn to catch something with this one . The guide thing is a great idea, but it's easier said than done - read what I'm going to say to sagefisher about guides. Thank you for your suggestions!
P.S. You know what they say about opinions - The first time a man calls you a horse, you call him a s.o.b. The second time a man calls you a horse, you slug him in the jaw. A third man calls you a horse, well, then, it's time to buy a saddle.

sagefisher: Thank you for going to the trouble of posting all that information. I was actually really excited to hear about a local(ish) club from a guy at Bass Pro - the Backcountry Flyfishing Association out of Altamonte Springs (they're on your list of FFF clubs). Unfortunately, the guy I was talking to (who said he is very active with the club and is a past president) told me that virtually none of them fish freshwater. That's the downside to living in a state where 80% or more of the state line is oceanfront. It's also the problem with finding a guide. There's a (relatively) huge market for saltwater guides and virtually no market for freshwater guides. At one point it had occurred to me to try to hire a guide, but I looked and looked and couldn't find a single guide who did bass trips. I hadn't heard of FloridaOnTheFly.info, though, so I will go down their list and see if I can't find one. And, who knows, maybe I'll join that FFF club and I'll be able to find someone who goes after bass. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Could you please explain this line from your first post - think there might be a typo in there: There are hundreds of reasons why you have not caught a bass, but only a few reasons why not.