Former old salt, now newbie - Spectra? A

So about 20 years ago I quit fishing from the party boats in San Diego.
College interfered, then I moved, got married, yadda yadda yadda.

Now I've got the time and income to get back into the habit and my wife
wants me to teach her to fish. So we're going to go out on one of the
boats in October. Half-day to full-day---not decided yet.

I've noticed that a lot of the technology has changed. I've still got
my old equipment--among other things a Jigmaster 500 and a Mag-force
reel, plus a Penn spinning reel (505?) that should be sufficient for
the wife to start her experiences on. And my self-built custom rods.

I'm trying to get a handle on all the changes that have happened and
one in particular that has stumped me is Spectra lines. Seems to be
that it's great if you've got a low-stretch application, but for just
tossing iron or bait fishing it's not the ideal solution? Thoughts,
comments?

Also, any substantial changes to jigs since the day? I've still got my
old Tady, Salas & Krokodile lures. Still tying the line directly to the
lures? Any reason that I can't use those lures still?

Thanks!

Bob
Huntington Beach, CA