Anglers the world over have always struggled with that question. I have experienced times when lots of fish were visible, and they would not so much as nibble at even a properly presented live bait. What reason is there for a fish not to bite?
Perhaps the better question would be to ask what makes a fish bite rather than why they won’t bite. Fish are animals and just like all other animals they get hungry once in a while, some more than others

. It is not just empty stomachs that will drive a fish to feed. Just watch your kids or people invited to a free buffet.
The savvy angler knows that there are other factors that will entice a fish to strike, even when they aren’t hungry.
All kinds of projects and studies have indicated that fish feed more and better in a moving water situation. Tidal water movement and current are major keys to the feeding effort.
You may have experienced this yourself. On an outgoing tide, the fish are biting and you are catching them at a regular rate. Then as if someone turned off a light switch, they stop. If you pay attention you probably see that the current stops with a change of tides.
Current - or rather lack of current will turn off a bite. Even offshore, where you may not realise it, currents will make all the difference. Slack tides with no current, while really good for getting a bait to the bottom with very little weight, usually means no fish
The fish finder marks fish all over the bottom, but with the exception of small bait robbers, you can’t even buy a bite!
Weather conditions most definitely affect the feeding habits of fish! As the barometric pressure drops, indicating a storm or low-pressure condition, fish will feed.
Storms and low-pressure areas (hurricanes are the ultimate low pressure) mean that the water will be stirred. Fish seem to realize that the dropping pressure, sensed by their lateral lines, means stirred water. They tend to feed ahead of the storm because they will not be able to feed as well in the murky water following the storm.
You can witness this for yourselves just shortly ahead of a major weather change. These are low-pressure cells in their own right, and as they approach, the fish will turn on and begin feeding.
After a cold front passes through, high pressure invades the area and the sea seems to be barren. That is probably because fish tend to feed heavily as the front and low-pressure center passes through. Now full, they tend to ignore baits presented to them.
In a shallow water setting, water clarity plays a huge part in getting a fish to bite. Long casts from a position well away from the fish are usually required to keep from spooking the fish. As a rule of thumb, if you can clearly see the fish, you will probably have a hard time getting them to bite. Remember, they can see you just as well if not even better
So, if the tide stops running and the fish stop biting, take a break, eat some lunch, enjoy the scenery, maybe hatch a new plan, tie a few more rigs

- and then get ready to move to a mark that will hold fish on the opposite tide. Learning to move and change with tide and weather conditions will help you catch more fish.
I always found a rapid drop from high to low really accounts for aggressive behaviour, and that's not only in fish