It's funny you say that GOB,
Over the past couple of seasons of taking my young niece or nephew fishing, I've kinda found myself having a simple slip bobber rig at the ready, even when I'm by myself.
For active fish, I'll fish it a little more agressively by swimming the live bait rig more frequently between pauses or twitches and have to admit, I've also taken some dandy fish (no 9# LM, but some respectable fish all the same
Sometimes (actually, most of the time) simpler is better.