Alra and Wild One have given you good tips...
Answering some of these Q's might help us give more info..
Do you see any activity on the surface (trout rising)?
How deep is the water you are fishing?
How wide is the river/stream?
Are there any slow stretches or pools?
Any spots with undercut banks, or overhanging tree branches that offer shade?
How deep are you wading?-- (if your up to your knees on a small stretch of fast water you could be standing where you should be fishing)
A key to getting trout to hit is having a drag free float--- it should be floating along at the same speed as bubbles, leaves etc, and not leaving a wake. Learning how to mend line will be a huge help. Learning how to throw a "reach cast" is easy, as are pile casts and "s casts" all types of casts to allow your fly to get more drag free floating distance. You can google them to find youtube vids or go to a site like www.sexyloops.com or use the search function here on FAOL for write ups.
It sounds like the water you're fishing in is fast water, so expect to get short drifts of 1-3 feet and pick up and cast again. If the water you're casting to (not standing) is knee to waist deep, look for current seams, foam lines, and braids or back eddies behind or in front of rocks--- places where a trout can hold without fighting current, and pick off stuff as it tumbles by. An Elk Hair Caddis, Trude or Wulff size 14 or 16 would be a good choice since they float high and are easy to see. You may well find that 40' casts are too long to get a drag free drift in such fast water. Try fishing 20' or even shorter, cast picking spots-- a couple casts along the near side of a rock, a couple more to the far side lifting and laying out the next cast without having to false cast/backcast, and move upstream a few steps for the next target. Look for spots to cast to... "if i were a trout" thing. You can cover the same water with these flies on the way back downstream, or switch to a heavily weighted black stoneyfly nymph.
If it's deep fast water, trout are likely to be out of the main current, or holding in a hole on the bottom. Fish dries right along the bank, or in the first current seam near shore. Try some casts upstream from you along the nearside bank, short casts at first, and lengthening them to cover more water (so you don't cast over nearby fish). Try hitting the far bank if you can too if you can reach it, and mend quickly to get a drag free drift. You could also try swinging a weighted wet or bugger by casting slightly upstream and across into the main current and quickly mending to let it sink and letting it swing in the current downstream below you.
An assortment of basic trout flies you probably have:
EHC, and some Trudes or Wulffs 14, and maybe an Orange Stimulator 12 for fast water
Parachute Adams 14 16 18- for slower water
Grasshopper- 10 for throwing along the banks, and slower water stretches
BH Black Wooly Buggers 8 for pools and slow deeper stretches
Sculpin- weighted Muddler 10, Black Marabou Muddler 6 pools and slower deeper stretches
Nymphs can be tough to fish at first, but a BH Prince 12, BH Pheasant Tail 16 are good ones.
Perhaps an easier to fish alternative to nymphs at first would be a Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle 16 and a Deep Sparkle Pupa (weighted in Green in 14) These you can cast down stream and across and let them swing below you. They're good searching flies, and look a lot like emerging mayflies (P & O) and caddis (both).
Your local shop could also give you great advice about specific patterns, and it may be worth it to get a guide for a day or 1/2 day to help you learn holding water, mending etc. Be clear upfront that you want some one to teach stuff like reading water, mending, reach casts and basic nymphing while wading, as opposed to catching from a drift boat. It will really help the learning curve.
good luck!
peregrines
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