The wieght should always be on a slider for Sturgeon fishing. The fish can move the bait and not feel the lead. For leader lenght it will depend on what the bait is. If you are using say Shad, about 30" - 36" of leader will work. Once you have the bait half hitched on the bait will be about a foot or so from the swivle. Short leader after the bait is attached will help it tl stay flat and still on the bottom. As for drag tension, I use a pretty stout drag setting for the bigger fish. To the point it is hard to pull line from the reel. Hope this helps some.