Welcome aboard!
I personally prefer braid over regular mono, line management
is so much easier for one thing. Fewer line twists, etc.
I also use a leader on all my reels. Spinning reels get 10 or 15
pound Power Pro, and i always tie on a leader with a uni-to-uni
leader knot. Simple knot, easy to tie with practice.
Like @new2BC4bass suggested, have a read of the articles on
the forums. Some excellent material here, you probably have
read some already.