A practice spool is definitely a good idea. I used 30lb Power Pro as my first line for baitcasters and on the first cast got an enormous backlash. After that, I couldn't cast farther than where the backlash had beat up my line. The cast would be going perfectly and then the line just suddenly stopped coming off the spool. It then got completely unmanageable after I caught a few legal halibut. Once I put some pressure on the line with good size fish, It dug into itself so much that my casts were hitting 10yds with a LC max.
This is what led me to figure out that anything below 30lb for braid was pointless. With 50lb and up, you don't ever get it digging into itself to the point where you can't cast. If you have the money, spring for the Daiwa after your learner spool. It is supposed to be one of the best braids on the market, and it feels like it will perform very well.
Spiderwire would be a good learning spool. A few pros on the Elite Series use it, so it's not completely garbage like Fireline Crystal. It's just not that great either. Once you get comfortable with that, the high end braids should feel just like you are casting mono.
Braid will be perfect with what you want to do. Just be sure to practice in the day first so you aren't picking out a backlash at night.