Wade Only When Necessary
I sometimes get a chuckle out of watching people fish. Waders are a vital piece of angling equipment but just because you have them on doesn't mean you always need to be waist deep in the water.
Many, in fact most, trout live nearer to the edges of rivers than to the middle. How many times have you been out deep and seen fish darting from somewhere near the edge?
It often pays to approach the stream slowly and make your first casts from a good distance away from the water, even if you have to land part of your line on the bank.