Depending on the river I am fishing I will use either a 9' 6wt or 8wt. Smaller shallower river then it's the 8wt. On the bigger river I fish I tend to favor the 8wt because there are also northern pike and good size carp. Leaders depend on what fly I am throwing and water depth. As mentioned above a 9' tapered 3x is pretty standard. For my 8wt I mostly use leaders that I tie up using Bob Clouser's leader kit.

Dave