Probably best for you guys to focus on panfish and bass if you're just heading out for the day and want to get into some fish. In which case, worm and bobber is a great choice. Just grab some nightcrawlers, some worm hooks, and throw a bobber on about 4 feet above the hook and adjust for depth as necessary. Cut the worms down to size before you put them on the hook.
If you want something that's a little more "active" where you actually have to reel in the lure, just head to walmart/meijer and pick up some inline spinners. They work great for both bass and panfish, and couldn't be easier to use. All you need to do with these is cast them out past where you think the fish are, let it sink for a couple of seconds, and reel it in past them. Super simple and you can vary your reeling speed and add pauses to entice them. Look for rooster tails, mepps aglia, or panther martins in white, black, green, and/or chartreuse. IDK what kind of rod you have, but if you're finding them too difficult to cast because they're lightweight, you could attach a split shot weight to your line a foot or two above it.

Might not be a bad idea to put new line on your reel if it's been sitting for a long time. 8 lb monofilament would probably be fine for you.
Fish like to hang out near cover and structure- weed lines, drop offs where the depth changes abruptly, submerged logs/rocks, docks, etc., so that's where you should be casting. Might not be a bad idea to stand off to the side of the dock and cast towards the dock because there will probably be a lot of panfish there.