I would go 30# braid if you are set on t-rigs and jigs. The no stretch braid should help compensate for the moderate action of the rod and let you still get good hook sets. The hooks will be light wire after all. The soft rod should do all the work with treble hook baits, just be sure to set your drag appropriately. A little tighter than normal for single hooks and a little looser for treble.
If you want to feel the difference grab some big game mono in 8# and try it out. If you don't like it you will only have spent $7 and will have some line for backing laying around.
If you are comfortable with 30# braid dropping down to 20# shouldn't be too difficult, just keep in mind that you will have to put in a little more effort than normal to make sure the line stays tight on the spool.
I'm the direct opposite of most who have commented. I find slowing down to crank or spinnerbait speeds with a 8 agonizing. The instant I lose lazer focus on reeling the bait is blowing out. Especially for a "do everything" reel, I MUCH prefer to reel a little faster than normal taking up slack on a t-rig over having to constantly focus on slowing down for a whole retrieve with a moving bait. Not to mention I will most times be making far more casts with moving baits.
I absolutely love 8 speeds for jigs, t-rig, and frogs but find them extremely bothersome for pretty much anything else. You ruled out frogs, and we had no issues catching bass on 5 speed reels using t-rigs and jigs for years.
I find that I don't need any help fishing faster, I'm probably fishing too fast most of the time no matter what reel I use. This is all just me personally, we are all different.
For me, given the choice between a 6 or 8 for a "all purpose" reel, I'm grabbing the 6 and not looking back.
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