C Drifter

No reason I can think of why you can't use a heavy duty dacron instead of wire, but watch the wear and replace more often. Mono has way too much stretch. IMHO forget the concerns over line visibility. Commercials are using "rope" and on a good day will outfish you and me together. Alot of hootchie leaders go 40-50#.
As far as banging the ball, it's nothing new. Before downriggers it was a common pratice up on Green Point and even the straits where the guys used to bang heavy metal on spreaders for barndoors and chickens. In the winter they caught BM like that too when candlefish were in. Banging heavy jigs on the bottom will do the same thing. Plus the candlefish like the sandyer bottoms where it is safer to drag a ball. Not a great technique for the San Juans, Narrows or other rocky spots though. Downriggers and finders have recently brought this technique to a state of art. Bang a ball and you never know, you might just tag one of those barndoors one day. Then you'll need that 40-50# leader and wish you had that 200# dacron on your reel instead of your dr.