I’m on EC in PA ! I have 30’ EDGE rods by Gary Loomis ! Use them fresh n Saltwater !
The few CB in photos I use for Stripers , inshore salt species and inland stripers !

This was my 5 th big palomino in 4 seasons , all big girls over 6# !
Finally developed a method to catch them!

Teeny sparkle nymphs
Basic dark nymph patterns with proper hooks
Egg patterns or clusters I found blue a solid cluster patterns !

My favorite rods !

Helgrimites if u can get em ‘ !

His reel didn’t have a drag !! 😜

Marathon south , however it’s possible to have a good day at any key ! Right boat u can run where u have to !
Gulf side great fishing on wrecks & ocean side you can catch most anything !

Circle hooks are self setting , they should be appropriate gor those trout as well. . Tjxy originated from the LL fleet and now have carried over to sport anglers . Not required if not using bait .
There biggest issue is most anglers trying to set the hook , if u do do it can pull hook out of the fish without catching .
Correct method is to point rod at fish when bite occurs , once he runs simply lift rod to vertical and reel !
Some are now using circles on offshore & Saltwater flies with good results !
Excellent for tarpon in some situations !

Get a used GLX nothing today compares , I own 2 and casted others through the years nothing tops this rod !

Check Sunline or Techtan

I own both and both excellent reels ! The new Stradics with all the bells n whistles step up from Saltist if u need that extra fluff !

Teeny lines best line to get deep and so simple to cast !!

Mono is fine for the applications you describe !
I use Sunline & Trileme Ex L , you don’t need braid on UL for any reason !
Stick with mono casts better , no knots to limit cast distance & offers stretch that protects you from popping off a bigger fish !
Providing you have correct taper n power for UL rod

Teeny 130 is ample for # 4 rod , I use to cut back to govern sink rates per specific waters !
Short heads require longer rods for better presentation sans a skagit style however longer heads sans Teeny lines fish n cast easier ! I simply used a lift n roll to reposition line for drift , quick n easy !
Sinking lines of any sort depending on depth n current speed without line control mid riff snags can occur by keeping more line off water
Zbut head down it fishes a hell of a lot better

Water temps sometimes are culprits ! In the 30/40’ degree range they feed less .
If water warmer try jigging the bait harder to excite them into reaction strikes ! Switch h baits size n color if nothing gets going , leave look for more active fish .