Well - you bought a specialized tool rather than a generalized tool.
The Shadow series rods are designed for european nymphing - not long line indicator nymphing. Euro nymphing focuses usually on water within 20 feet of you - no fly line off the reel. Long loooong level leaders, and a "team" of 3 flies, usually simple, heavy bodied flies to get down without the need for split shot on the line. You flip your cast upstream and lead the flies slightly, keeping them on the bottom without dragging them upward, and methodically fish the water. It's as much about stealthily wading and positioning yourself as it is about the flies. The long, light rod is to both give you reach and to cushion the lighter line they employ to help get the flies down. Their indicators are usually just a brightly colored segment of leader butt. More often than not though, when tight line nymphing you will feel the take.
That rod should cast alright too - but depending on where you are fishing - you might find the longer rod a hindrance as far as the tip getting into the trees, etc. Long rods are great when you have low brush/grass behind you - but they suck if your back is to trees and tall overhanging stuff. Short rods excel for that.
Or you can avoid back cast problems by using roll casts / single hand spey casting. I almost never aerialize my casts anymore unless I'm fishing dry flies. I don't fish dry flies with my switch rods much either.
I wouldn't sell that rod - I would save cash and buy
another rod - one more suitable for dry fly fishing. And I wouldn't get locked into the idea of a 9 foot rod - if you're fishing brushy bushy areas, even a 9 footer can be a pain the arse. My arsenal is moving toward the more extreme ends of the rod length spectrum - I've got long switch & light spey rods for nymphing, and fishing wet flies and streamers. For smaller water, or fishing dries, I have shorter single hander rods. The only 9 footer in my quiver right now is my 7 weight, and it only gets used for specific waters/fishing techniques. I do a lot of small stream fishing and hate 9 footers for most of it. On bigger waters it's not a problem, but then I like the longer reach and easier mending the longer rods give for that.
Your lack of luck can easily be chalked up to inexperience and maybe being sold on the rod for general use when it was much more a specific tool. You can adapt, of course, and that rod can be used for indicator fishing. Downsized indicators, and lighter flies, fished on lighter tippets to help get them down in the currents and you can indi nymph with them.
here's some good youtube vids on how you may better use your current rod. One is for Tenkara rods - but honestly Tenkara fishing, especially nymphing, is very similar to what you're going to be doing mostly with that rod, only you have a reel in case the fish runs or you need to lengthen or shorten your casts.
I typically only use 2 flies - 3 flies tangle too much. Tungsten bead heads and mostly caddis imitations, varying colors more than anything else to see what the fish like. Olive bodied caddis are my go to. Then browns, blacks, reds, and peacock herl bodied flies are good. Mix & match.
Hooking up with someone on here who can show you the ropes wouldn't hurt either.
