Hi everyone, I've a got a few basic equipment questions and thought I'd see what kind of thoughts and advice any of you have for me.

I've been fly fishing for several years intentionally ignoring the details of my cheap equipment, knowing that if I did much research and actually learned even the basics I would end up spending a ridiculous amount of money getting myself properly outfitted. Besides, I've always done fairly well with my $40 rod and thought if I ever tried better equipment I would feel the need to upgrade. Well, I couldn't avoid it forever because lately I've been thinking that a 4-piece rod would be nice for backpacking trips, and some kind of sinking line setup would be nice for mountain lakes. Also, I recently noticed that my fly line is old and cracking. As I took my first ever quick inventory, I also realized that I've been fishing a 5 weight line on a 7 weight rod - I'm not lying when I said I've completely ignored my equipment details!

I fish almost exclusively for trout, although I'm going to try for some pike and bass this summer. My questions are:

1. Will I notice a huge difference having a proper line/rod/weight setup? I actually feel like I do quite well with my current setup - maybe I'm just used to it after years of using it.

2. Any ideas on a good 4 or 5 weight, 4 - piece rod? Anything over $200 is probably out of the question.

3. I've never fished with sinking line before. I'm going to buy an extra spool for my reel to hold a line setup when I'm not fishing on or just below the surface. Should I get a sink tip setup or a full sink?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on any of this.