Try the bottled fish eggs. Use light line and let it drift down.

Try some tungsten bead heads. They really do make a difference.

I would keep my finger away from his/her mouth!

Reminds me of the time I took a slug out of a Pepsi can that had been rolling around in four inches of water in the bottom of a leaky boat along with the contents of a worm can and some dead live bait. My brother thought it was hilarious to fish it out of the bottom and set in on the seat where I had left my Pepsi. Made a total fly fisherman out of me.

Jig with a plastic tube. Most lakers will be just off the bottom.

Nope, and I miss it too. We are in WA state, about three miles from a slip on Puget Sound, so it's not too bad here, especially when I remember the days when it was 50 below, and as my son used to say, "we don't do 'wind chill' in Montana." We loved those burgers in that little stand in Livingston, the non-California In-n-Out Burger. Good memories. Oh, the Coastal cutthroats here in the salt don't replace those evenings on the madison, but they help.
Tight lines.

Take the 3 weight. It is great for the firehole and some of the small streams in the north. We lived in West Yellowstone for 7 years and I pretty much settled on a 4 wt for my river fishing, except in the fall when the big browns and rainbows come up out of Hebgen. Then I went with a 6. If you fish Lewis lake in the park or Henry's lake you might like having the 7 wt and a sinking line. Unless you have experienced wet wading cold water and like it, I would bring the waders. A pair of breathable boot foot (rubber soles) does not take a lot of room. Just clean them off with bleach if you fish water outside of the park. We don't need didymo (rock snot) or zebra mussels or other stuff in those pristine waters.

Get the fish on the reel so you don't have a big loop of line dragging around, net fish with a clear vinyl net, and stick the butt of the rod in your waders or under your left arm and use your hemostats to release. That's a lot easier if you are using barbless.

It's pretty rare to bump into a five pound trout as well. For trout fishing shoot for something that will be fun to use to catch the one half to 3 pound trout. That will handle a healthy five pounder if you find one, or the tailless 10 pound pen and pellet raised trout you are more likely to encounter in Southern California.

Get a spinning rod rated for 6-10 lb line. Look for a rod with plenty (5-9) of lightweight guides in the 6.5-7.5 foot long range. The good guides don't have all that clunky plastic around the rings. If it is a multi-piece ( 2 is about right unless you will be traveling on a plane a bunch,) look for guides where the tip end piece fits over the handle piece. Avoid rods with lots of flashy tape and junk on them. A good spinning outfit is less expensive than a good casting set up, and easier to use to boot. You can step up to a casting rod & reel when you feel comfortable.

The unknown gadget(s) are a fly tying bobbin and a whip finisher. The first holds the thread you tie with and the second makes it easy to tie off the thread when you finish the fly.

In New England just go out a catch a few perch. Filet & fry and you have a feast. And you will be helping keep the perch population healthy. A sliding bobber and some dragon fly nymphs (perch bugs) is all you need, and you might come up with a good trout, bass, bluegill, or what have you.

Kerry and the flyguy are giving you the straight info. If you spend enough to get a rod where they take the time and effort to find the spine you have enough money to get a proper casting rod, but in the right hands I suspect a spinning rod will cast darn close to as far as a bait casting rod. It will depend on how stiff the rod is, how heavy your lure and line is, and how good the reel is. Give it a try and you will get some idea if you will like the revolving spool.

My biggest pike have been on small divers, but also try a great big gold red eye wiggler. As big as you can find. And try trolling one about fifteen feet behind your motor, right in the wash.

Try a medum/large bushy fly with a beadhead dropper ( a 14 or 16) about a foot or so below the attractor. Use plenty of floatant on the bushy fly -- a wullf or even a hopper. Pop it into those seams, and don't ignore the area upstream of the rock. Most of the time it's the dropper that gets the take, but be prepared for a smash on the floater.