What lakes and streams are around the Greenbelt/Lanham area?

Fly fishing help rod weight?

• I love to fish for trout and go hiking in the mountains for them (streams, pools, small lakes). i only used spinners. i have gone with my dad and his friend (a fishing guide) fly fishing in alaska a couple times and a few other occasions. I was thinking about getting the Frequent Flyer 864-7 Fly Rod or Clearwater II 864-4 Fly Rod from orvis. I know it will be a 3 or 4 weight. the thing is, the lake i fish the most has 6 to 8 inch brook so i need a small rod. other lakes around my area maybe a 10 inch avg. cutthroat and rainbow. but i also want to fish the river by my house that has a fish hatchery on it (i think they spawn steelhead and rainbow) its about 20 ft wide avg. so there is some decent fish to be caught there. 3 or 4weight? any suggestions on rods?

• Answer:

  Re-think your query. The length of the rod is more important than its weight. Trout react to movements that they can see. Use the longest and lightest rod possible and the lightest line and leader that will hold any hooked trout. I suggest an 8 or 9 foot 2 weight rod. Don't use a baseball bat on those 6-8 inch trout. Try 6 weight leaders and 20 size flies. I was at, 'Point of Rocks' in Idaho. It was afternoon. Rainbow were feeding. I started with a 7 foot rod. Nothing and more nothing. I went back to the car and got a light weight 9 foot rod. My casts were much longer - Bingo, action and some nice rainbow,