Fishing rod will not cast

Attempting to use the fishing rod yields no result.

I tried:

1. finding larger bodies of water, fitting the 5x5 water/air requirements

2. fishing underwater

3. using the fishing rod to grab/grapple other objects

4. multiple worlds, survival and creative modes

5. uninstalling minecraft and the launcher and reinstalling

The fishing rod still only gives me a "woosh" and will not lose condition, or show the casting animation. Sometimes, the water droplets that come from water when fishing will appear (not the kind that trail/indicate a fish attached to a line), but the line will not cast.