Haven't gone fishing in over 6 years and need some help getting everything set up right.  I just bought a Fenwick 6'6" HMG MF rod with a Pfleuger Supreme 8035MG reel.  My 1st question is what size line to go with.  I mostly fish for bass but sometimes I go after trout and on rare occasions carp.  Planning on buying some Trilene Maxx since I used Trilene back in the day.  I used to use 8lb test but was thinking about going with 6lb test for better casts.  Was wondering what you guys would recommend.

 Another question I have has to do with hook sizes.  What size hook do you guys use on 5" Tiki Sticks?  I have size 3 and 4 offset shank worm hooks.  Didn't know which would work better.  Also wondering what size hook you guys use when fishing with medium sized live shiners.  I own some size 1 snells I was planning on using for them.

 My last question has to do with swivels.  As a kid and teenager I always used them.  I am usually changing up my bait fairly often so swivels made it easy to change to whatever I wanted.  I fish with just about everything including live bait, spinner baits, soft baits, hard baits, etc.  Are there any disadvantages when attaching your bait to a swivel instead of directly to the line?  If the disadvantages are nil or minimal, what type of swivel would you recommend (size, color)?

I'd want to use the heavier line because of the cover that bass are usually found in.

As to hook for 5" Tiki Stick, I never used one, but I think it's like a Senko and others, so I'd recommend a 4/0 extra-wide-gap.

I use small duolock snaps, not swivels, either chrome or black.