60 years ago when I was 12. My mother and I camped 2 weeks every summer on a flowage in northern Wisconsin.
Power Pro braid. I use either 10 or 15 pound on my spinning reels.
Arbogast Jitterbug. Great for calm water mornings. Hula poppers are in the tackle box as well.
I have a 48" wide, 14 foot Alumacraft jon boat. It is extremely stable and can handle rough water. I had polio when I was a kid and require a boat that is easy to get in and out of at the dock. It's powered with a 15 horse Mercury four stroke. Equipped with Tempest swivel seats. To make it easier to get around in, we put in marine plywood flooring and coated it with roll on bed liner. I've had the boat, motor and trailer for 8 years.
25 or 30 should work for any of the fish mentioned.
I've had good results using Acme Kastmasters for panfish.
My 10 pound Power Pro far exceeds it's rating. It sometimes straightens hooks when I recover snags.
I have trays set aside for river fishing. My lake tackle bag has a much larger selection of lures and jigs as well has a good selection of hooks and floats.
Fatheads or mud minnows. Small suckers are excellent bait, especially if you are a river fisherman.
Buy yourself a spool of 10# Power Pro. Get rid of your old mono line and replace it with the Power Pro braid. You are now ready to go fishing now and for several years to come. Color wise, I suggest the moss green. Go catch 'em!
Welcome to the Digest. Glad to see another upper-mid-westerner here!
I personally won't add anymore piercing to my body. The ones I was born with are adequate.
Fish it! Then you will have an answer to your question. The rivers I fish are only 4 to 6 feet deep.
There are hundreds of videos on line. Just google Ned Rigs.