Most anglers spend years learning how to catch more fish. But sometimes, the best lessons come from looking at things the other way round. Instead of only asking “what works?”, it can be useful to notice the habits that quietly reduce your chances of success.
On the river, trout and grayling are quick to punish clumsy technique, poor presentation, or a lack of observation. We’ve all had days where nothing seemed to work — often because we were unknowingly doing things that drive fish away.
Here are some of the most common ways anglers manage not to catch fish. Recognising them is the first step to putting things right.
Making Too Much Noise in the Water
Fish are highly sensitive to vibration. Wading heavily, splashing with each step, or dragging a wading stick noisily behind you is like ringing a dinner bell in reverse — it tells the fish to vanish.
A quieter approach makes a big difference. Plant your feet carefully, lift and place your wading staff rather than pulling it along the gravel, and move slowly. Stealth is as important as the fly you tie on.
Walking Through the River Before You’ve Fished It
It’s easy to march straight into a pool and start wading, but this is one of the quickest ways to reduce your chances. Many trout and grayling hold right in the shallow edges, the tails of pools, or close to the bank — exactly the places you step first.
By walking through the water before you’ve even cast, you often spook the best fish before they’ve had a chance to see your fly. The wiser habit is to fish each section from the bank or from the edges first, then wade in only when you need to.
Casting Too Much, Too Often
One of the easiest mistakes is to spend more time casting than fishing. Endless false casts lay line over feeding fish and put them down quickly. A couple of false casts to dry the fly or adjust length is plenty — then the fly should be on the water, drifting.
If you find yourself casting constantly, take a step back. Watch the current seams, study the rises, and plan a cast that needs fewer strokes. Less is nearly always more.
Ignoring What Fish Are Feeding On
It’s tempting to pick a fly at random and hope for the best, as if you are a beginner, there is nothng wrong with this!. Sometimes you’ll get lucky, but some of the time the fish will be tuned in to specific food, in particular when they are rising. Throwing out something completely unrelated — like a big streamer at fish that are sipping at olives, isn’t a recipe for success.
Take time to watch. Look at the water’s surface, turn over a stone, or check a spider’s web near the bank. Matching size and behaviour often matters more than an exact colour copy.
Letting Drag Ruin Your Drift
Even with the “right” fly, if it skates unnaturally across the current, the trout won’t be fooled. Drag is the curse of the dry fly, and even nymphs drifted too quickly or at the wrong angle can look suspicious.
Good mending, careful casting angles, and giving the fly some slack are the antidotes. But if you don’t pay attention, drag will undo all your efforts before the fish even has a chance to look.
Moving Without Thinking
Rushing upriver, barging through shallow tails of pools, or standing tall against the skyline are classic ways to alert every fish in sight. Trout and grayling spend their lives dodging predators, so sudden movement above them is a clear warning sign.
A more thoughtful approach — keeping low, using bankside cover, and pausing before stepping into a run — gives you a much better chance.
Failing to Rest a Fish That Has Stopped Rising
Sometimes a trout will rise steadily for several minutes and then stop. It’s natural to assume it has gone off the feed, but often it’s simply resting or has been disturbed by a poor cast.
Continuing to hammer the spot with fly after fly usually makes matters worse. If a fish stops rising, give it a rest. Step back, watch quietly, and wait. Trout often resume feeding once they feel undisturbed. Patience here can turn a missed chance into a solid hook-up.
Constantly Changing Flies
It’s easy to lose confidence and change patterns every few minutes. But this often means you’re fishing less and tying knots more. Fish rarely refuse a fly which is in the right ballpark, simply because the recipe is slightly wrong; far more often it’s presentation, drag, or disturbance.
Give each fly a fair chance. If it’s not working, adjust your drift or your position before reaching for the fly box.
Forgetting the Basics
Strong knots, fresh tippet, and checking for wind knots may not be exciting, but they matter. A frayed leader or a poorly tied knot will part company with the first decent fish that takes. It’s a quiet way of “not catching” that every angler discovers the hard way.
Losing Patience
When nothing seems to work, frustration creeps in. Snatching at takes, rushing casts, or pulling too hard on a hooked fish all lead to disappointment. Fishing rewards calmness. A pause, a deep breath, and a steady hand make all the difference.
Final Thought
Every angler makes these mistakes at some point — it’s part of the journey. The trick is to notice them, smile at yourself, and gently correct course. Stealth, observation, and patience are usually enough to swing things back in your favour.
Fly fishing isn’t about perfection. It’s about learning from each day on the water. So if you’ve had a blank session, don’t be discouraged. Think about what might have sent the fish packing, make a note for next time, and enjoy the simple truth: even when you’re “not catching,” you’re still fishing.
