yeah I can help em out. it really isnt hard at all. but it sure is a good way to spend an afternoon and night.
hooks anything from a size 2 to a 4/0. 2/0 bait holder is a good versatile hook. there are several different types. circles, kahles, and baitholders along with treble hooks. depends on what your using for bait. if your using liver treble hooks seem to keep it on use size 6 trebles. but I have been using this with a fiber bait that I buy on the net. the kahles are a good compromise between a circle and a j hook. the kahles will hook them selfs if they run with it or you can set the hook if you like. they have a nice wide gap for using live bait such as sunnies or chubs. the circle hooks I have been trying to like but only like them when the bite is extremely agressive. with those you let the fish hook themselfs. they run with it and in turn you just start to reel.
on a side note if I was to buy one hook it would be a 2/0-4/0 baitholder. JMO it works with worms, chubs, cut bait, minnows, livers, pretty much everything. you can pick up some 2/0 bass pro brand baitholders reletively cheap. I think 5 bux for a 50 pack.
sinkers. 1oz is sufficent I use whatever I have at the moment. either bank sinkers or egg sinkers. I plan on getting a mold so I can do my own. buyin em at bass pro at 3.50 a pop for 8 of em is rough.
3 way swivels. pretty self explainatory.
bait. if you have a minnow trap chubs are easy to catch and seem to work well. sunnies work well in the river atleast. if ya want cut em in half and use both halfs. we were doing just as good on live bait as we were on cut bait. the dip baits and punch baits in stores I am not sure of. it took alot of internet research till I settled on buying one bait and it paid off on friday night. but will it allways work? not sure I have only used it twice. once in a pond and once on the river. both times it worked but ya need to hold the rod and as soon as you feel the tap set the hook. if you wait they allready are gone and knocked the stuff off your hook. with live bait they normally take it and hold it in their mouths for a bit. I know one thing I like about the manufactured bait I used friday night is it really doesnt stink like rotten fish or guts but rather smells like fermented grain. so far it works and if ya get it on ya which you will it wont make ya vomit.
that weekend I will probably have a bunch of different bait but it seems this is what I have used the most. chubs, punch bait, sunnies(either cut up or live) , worms(allmost allways works.)