Welcome to world of cane, my friend. It's your first, but likely not the last! Re. leaders: I'm a believer that the leader should match the fishing at hand, not so much the length of the rod. I agree with redietz- use what you've been using, unless you find a reason to change. As far as lines are concerned- if the triangle taper works well, you're set to go. After fishing it for a while, it'll either be perfect for the rod, or not. Don't worry too much about that right now. -Chuck