Matt,
I don't usually tie them with weed guards but usually wish that I had. I will put weight on the top of the hook shank so that they fish point up and tie most flies both with and without beads or cones.
As for gear, I use what I have to hand. THis is an 8'6" #6 rod, WF6 floater or sink tip. As for leaders, keep it simple. If I use tapered leaders then they are usually my cut down trout leaders around 5-6ft and probably 1 or 2X at the point. Nothing too delicate here.
I find sllllooooowwww is best. On stilll evenings, you can't beat a surface popper fly. Cast it out, wait for the rings to disappear and twitch a couple of times. Be ready for some pretty spectacular takes - they often come out of the water to take the fly on the way down. With the mosue and frog patterns, try to hit the bank or land them on top of lily pads then pop them into the water. This can produce some good sport and if there are pickerel (small pike like fish) then you can see a bow wave coming at your fly from 6ft away.
Hope this helps.
Mike
