Try a braid. They do Fireline down to 4lbs, it's great stuff. I know a few people are using it for long trotting and are quite pleased with it.
I used Vaseline when I fished with mono and it rots the line, so it's risky unless you chanfgte your line every couple of trips.
Disagree with the mono leader bit for drifting - fish 30lbs or more braid straight through to the trace/uptrace, the rod cushions you if the fish starts bumping around.
There's always a risk the mono line will sink, risking a bite-off if you're using a livie and it gets up over the line, or a fish comes up in the water and hits it, which they often do.
I've tried mono leaders for zander on leger/helicopters and have never been confident in the knot attaching braid to the mono, which has a habit of strtangling because they have completely different characteristics.
You really have to pull into them hard to hook them sometimes, because you have to pull through the resistance of the float/vane before you make contact with the fish.
I know the savage takes hook themselves against the resistance of the float, but the cruisers which just gob the bait and swim off slowly need a good clout to bang the hooks in.