Im not sure about the carolinas, it might be totally different, but out here its pretty simple. I usually bring a 7.5ft rod with 6lb on it. I recomend longer rods for casting distance, but dont go overboard. You could fish up to 10lb but i wouldnt go over that, and i would say anything under 6lb will end in alot of lost fish. I fish the three inch Bighammers, these seem to have a good action and alot of colors to chooses from. I use a 1/4 ounce darter head but any led head shape will do, pick one that you like. In terms of working the bait i usually go for a strait retrieve. I vary the speed sometimes and add pauses but nothing really fance. Hope this helps, my best advice is experiment with different things until you find a technique that catches fish, then perfect that technique.

Daniel