I know I'm not the man on this subject but I hope you don't mind me answering so I can be corrected in case I am wrong.
I'll go in reverse here, for color on top water lures is almost a moot point. When viewed from under they mostly look very dark or black because of the light sorce bein the sun overhead. However it is good to have at least a light and a dark color of topwaters. Dark for poor light so it cast a better shadow and is easier to spot. Light colors can be seen in clear waters when it isn't a bluebird day or if the fish and lure are both in shallow or near the surface together being viewed horizontaly. For any lure or fly I like to have a light color red/white, red/yellow, chartrues/X, a solid black or other very dark color, and something more natural for those clear water conditions.
I've seen lots of shows and read lots of articals were people are using 65lb braid for line but you could just as well use 30 lb braid or 30lb mono if you're on a budget. Florocarbon leaders are the craze on muskie/pike fishing right now it seems and if they were widely used before the past couple seasons I wasn't aware of it. They are nice but can still be bitten through. Good ole seven strand wire is a reliable way to go, been used for many years by many people I have found. Easy to work with too. I've been using the knotable stainless braided leaders myself and have liked them very well so far. They even make some titanium leader material out ther that is supposed to be the cats meow but I haven'e used it and if I remember it is kinda pricey.
I'm going to add a link at the bottom here for a suggestion on rod/reel combo. Even if you don't like the brand something like it from a company you trust is good place to start. One thing to take notice of is how the rods are classified by how heavy a lure they are designed to cast. This is my best shot, if you were interested in fly tackel I could have some more things I know about for you but that's about it outa me. Good luck out there, I hope this was a help.
P.S. A good guide goes a long way.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 00_100-3-1