I use a ultra light rod/reel setup, 2 to 4 lbs line. My reel is a Mitchell but I forget what brand my rod is. 5 ft single piece. The place where I do most of my fishing is lure only, no soft plastics. There are a bunch of different variations of spoon lures out there that will work great, I prefer a lure called the Super Duper made by Luhr Jenson (http://www.luhrjensen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_2_8), you can also find them at Walmart and Bass Pro. We have had success with Rooster Tails, Road Runners, and small Rapelas. When you can use bait, worms, corn, and power bait work great.

Hope this helps and is what you were looking for.

I am actually leaving tomorrow (Thurs Jan 15th) for a weekend of fishing.