Hi Guys I do a lot of marker work and spodding and actually have a pair of Shimano long cast big pit baitrunners for the job, now you dont need to go to that kind of expense but you do need to purchase reels that have the right combination of cranking power for when you need to retrieve a large spod from a hundred yard plus with the line lay and casting capacity to cast a marker float or spod as far as you can cast a baited rig or you will limit the effectiveness of what your attempting to do.
There are several good quality and reasonably priced reels made by Shimano such as the Biomaster , Navi and Ultegras and Diawa have a dedicated Spod Reel but any of the lower priced emblems will also do the job.
For my marker set up I prefer to use 20lb Braid with a mono shock leader , I find the mono leader slides through the swivel better than braid and is less prone to tangling than using braid straight through , it can be very frustrating to locate what feels like a very attractive spot to then not be able to check the depth or raise the marker because the braid has twisted upon the cast, Korda do a great marker kit set up that supplies all you need, you may need to switch to larger or more buoyant floats if fishing in amongst weed as it can restrict the movement of the float as it rises so using a quick change swivel makes life a lot easier.
For my spod I use the opposite preferring to use a cheap but tough low diameter mono line such as 10lb diawa sensor with a 35lb braided leader , this helps to take the strain when launching 8-12 oz of loaded spod but with the aid of a big pit sized spool the line will cast beautifully.
Its important to wear a protective finger guard when using any kind of braided line ,being much thinner than mono with virtually no stretch its very easy for the braid to cut into your finger when casting , you can buy these at most tackleshops , I prefer the glove version made by gardner tackle.Its also important to make sure your leader knots are placed at the back of the spool before casting , if not when you cast the actual knot can snag the coils as they come off on the cast reducing your casting range or even cause it to tangle , and you dont want to be attempting to lauch 1/2 lb of loaded spod to the horizon and the line gets wrapped up around the rod because something will definitely go bang.
The idea of baiting an area within the weed is a great one and works really well , I find using smaller baits such as particles and pellets mixed with denser baits such as boilies means the baits settle at different levels on the weed , the lighter stuff nearer the top and the denser baits nearer the bottom meaning the fish and bird life have to really rip into the weed to get every morsel clearer the spot much quicker than using just one type of bait.
Also good to remember that just because you have a spod and marker that you dont need to always use it , by all means have them at the ready but weigh up the conditions and fish activity in front of you before you start lobbing dirty great spods or marker floats out , I often prefer to cast with just a lead to feel the bottom then once Ive found a nice spot mark the line,attach a fresh rig and drop it on the spot with the minimum of disturbance rather than bombarding the swim with a full marker set up , the same applies to spodding , you cant take it back out again once you have cast it in so again less is sometimes more
Hope that helps answers your questions , this is quite a large topic but I hope I have at least covered the basics and pointed you in the right direction.
