I have a new baitcaster, rod and reel on its way in the mail from bass pro shop as we speak and it’s going to be setup exclusively for T-rigs, buzzbaits, jigs etc. I do enjoy top water fishing with poppers a lot and was wondering do I need to dedicate a separate rod and reel to the top water lures? Also, will braid work top water lures ok or do I need to stick with a mono line?

I caught two bass and a northern on a Whopper Plopper last year - tied directly to braid. Same rig was used with spinner baits...and the fish in my profile pic was caught on that. I don't see an issue using braid with topwaters.

1 hour ago, NavyVet1204 said:

Also, will braid work top water lures ok or do I need to stick with a mono line?

Yes, but it tends to get tangled in the trebles on splashdown unless you feather the spool to get the back end of the lure to kick out ahead of the line before it lands. It'll still happen anyway sometimes. Otherwise it's fine with the right rod, or judicious use of your drag with a faster action rod.

Gotcha thanks guys!

I remember the days when I used a ~5.1:1 baitcaster with 30 lb braid on a medium 6' ugly stick for everything.  And I mean everything; Spinnerbaits, frogs, worms, buzzbaits, crankbaits and even some musky lures like bucktails and suicks.  I don't seem to remember missing many fish and I seem to remember catching a lot of fish.  If you get used to it, you can pretty much learn to use a rod for anything - just have to learn the nuances to make it effective.  

The above post from @JediAmoeba was well said.  I have gone out on many a hiking trip around shorelines with one medium spinning rod, thrown everything in my box and have done just fine.  The sky is the limit for how many tactic-specific rod/reel combos you could amass, but that's not totally necessary.