Depth
You didn't say what technique you were using, but unless you see fish actively rising (or it's hopper season) prospecting with a dry fly is a low percentage game on the Bow. Nymphing is the main tool for most anglers on the river.
With that in mind, are your flies getting near the bottom quickly? If you're using an indicator, add split shot (either on a dropper from your last fly or at an appropriate distance above it) until you're catching on the bottom every so often. Adjust your weight and/or indicator depth based on the water speed until your flies are consistently down near the bottom and in the face of the fish.
There are other techniques you can master to help get them down (tuck cast, mending slack into your leader right away, and so on), but adding weight is the easiest for a beginner.
Remember your goal while nymphing: a naturally drifting imitation of something a trout wants to bite (not necessarily eat - otherwise why would ridiculous attractor patterns work?). Your objectives therefore are 1.) find water where fish are holding, 2). put your flies in front of them in a natural-looking manner, and 3.) detect the take. You need a reasonably taut connection between fly and indicator for that, plus an eye for subtle bites. When in doubt, set the hook. Every 20th rock or so has fins.
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