Okay my .02 cents, and I am not trying to say that what anyone else is doing is wrong, just telling you how I do it.
7 foor heavy action rod. High Speed reel, 7.1:1 or 6.2:1
15-20 pound Seaquar Invizx Flourocarbon main line. Very sensitive but still strong and abrasion resistant.
Depending on wind, 3/4 or 1 ounce egg sinker. Egg sinkers just don't get hung up as much.
Small 30 pound titanium barrel swivel, and always a glass bead, never plastic. I will use two beads in dirtier water. One protects the knot, the other clicks against the first to attract fish.
3-4 foot mono leader. VERY IMPPORTANT. Flourocarbon sinks. Mono floats and helps your bait get in the face of the fish. I have out-fished the guy in the back of the boat 5 to 1 and the only difference was the leader. Also, I go with 12 pound, usually p-line flouroclear or something invisible and abrasion resistant like that.
Hook depends on bait. My favorite c-rig bait is a baby brush hog, favorite color is watermelon purple flake. I always spray the tails with chartruese spike-it spray.
2.0 or 3.0 EWG hooks, usually gamakatsu. BPS has some really good bps brand hooks that are the same thing only cheaper.
Now the technique. Drag it sideways, not up and down. Drag to your side, you will feel more strikes. Reel in your slack, never let any slack in the line, keep it tight as you will get most bites when your bait stops and you are reeling in the slack. When you feel like you are hung up, lift the rod and try to pull it over gently, you will get lots of bites as you come over that type of cover, but if you jerk it out, you will miss that opportunity.
I hope this helps.