I never take the plainer rods and short cores off my boat. The summer of 2013, we were fishing browns in 25-35 fow in July and crushing them on short cores. There are times during upwellings that they will come into play also.
Narrowing it down to one combo is tough. Two is a lot easier! My two favorites are the Live Wire Spin Doctor with a Green Crinkle Atommik or the Hammertime Spin Doctor with a Green Hammer Atommik.
Mono main line with a floro leader. I use floro for the abrasion resistance. Braid is nice for a main line but the fleas end that early. The hookups are way better with braid and the fight is better but like I said before, fleas are an issue.
Last season the fleas were around for a much shorter duration and not nearly as heavy. Most years it starts in June and we deal with it until mid August.
I had that issue last season but it was my fault. When the handle meets a dock post it does not hold up well! other than that, mine have been solid for 12 years.