Try using a clear bobber with a 1/64 oz or 1/80 oz jig and soft plastic only about 4 - 12 inches below the clear bobber, with 2 or 4 pound test. The Fall surface bite is by far my favorite time of year. Those fish way up high in the water column, at or very near the surface, are often gorging themselves on zooplankton during the Autumn months when the tiny creatures make their way toward the waters surface and are easy prey for the specks and gills. You can see the plankton and a bit of the Fall surface feed in this video of mine.
https://youtu.be/0J_TWuuaxKY
It is not about the equipment you have to use,
It is about how you use the equipment you have. :D