IMO from the bank, braid is a pretty rough go for this very reason. Put a leader on it. Practice the leader knot enough that you know what a well-tied one looks like.
Double uni is about bulletproof to tie, maybe start there unless you are really good with knots.
Albright/alberto and its variants are all over youtube and pretty easy but make sure you watch a couple of different videos to pick up tricks. They work reasonably well and you'll be able to tell if the knot isn't right.
FG knot really isn't that hard to tie once you get the hang of it, as long as you can maintain the right amount of tension. But it's fiddly while you learn it, and it'll take some real time. I tied it a bunch watching TV. Same deal, watch a few videos to pick up little details like tugging really hard on the first two knots as you begin the finishing stage. Best connection knot by far, but a bit of a curve to get it right. Don't start here.
Chatterbait can get knocked out of a clip like that. Please don't ask me how I know, at least twice. Plus it'll catch grass, wood, pretty much everything.
The diameter of the clip wire will materially affect the strength of your knot on flouro. Larger diameter is better.
After at least 12 brands of trial and error, the paperclip-style clips are the clear winner. Tactical angler micro for smaller applications, rated to 25lbs. And p-line for heavier applications. Sometimes I even use the p-line on frogs when I'm trying to figure out what they want. They'll take full-body frog hooksets on braid with no issue.
P-line looks like this. Get the size 1, the others are giant. And even that one is often too big, hence the recommendation for the TA micro further down. These are great on squarebills, larger mid and deep divers, frogs, rattletraps, chatterbaits, etc. IMO once you figure out the chatterbait color and weight you need you should probably just tie it on. And on the cranks, just cut the split ring off when it has one.
Tactical angler sizing. Get the 25lb. They weight about what most split rings weigh and work great on small cranks, jerkbaits, small hooks (although really should tie those).
Last bottle made it a couple of years before it started to get thick, and it was almost gone by then. It gets subjected to extreme heat, because "Texas", but doesn't get frozen out.
I think it depends a lot on cover and trailer. Weeds, 1/2oz with a zako, is like .83oz, casts better on a light-ish heavy and fishes better too. Braid to leader to snap weeds off. No cover, 3/8oz with a small trailer might make for a MH glass rod with 12lb flouro.
Anyway my point is what worked for me was to just keep trying different stuff, because theres so much personal preference and situation in the decision.
IMO there are a couple of setups that are bad ideas - stretchy line on a floppy crankbait rod, and braid/leader on a broomstick.
I find that my swimjig setups and chatterbait setups are pretty much the same thing.
The main bass resource site has a constant stream of articles that are often season specific, so that should help narrow down your baits and places.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/prespawn-start.html
https://www.bassresource.com/hank-parker-fishing/early-spring.html
In terms of seasons, you are further south than most, so you'll be running ahead in spring and behind in fall. Sometimes there's really no winter pattern except for a couple of weeks. If you're hot, the bass are hot too, it is probably summer
This is oversimplifying, but fish it like fall until the water drops under 50-52 degrees. And start trying pre-spawn baits as soon as the water gets back over that range. In one of the articles above hank says 47 degrees, but my experience has been that might the peak cold water around here.
I'm north of you, but valentines day kicks off early pre-spawn range. Maybe too early this year because of the freeze we just had, but by the 21st in north texas it'll be on. IMO most people don't think it starts till march, I think the big fish are moving up earlier.
Search for cosmic calendar on the forums, you'll find a link to an article WRB wrote that will help.
This might help too, or make it worse... The lake breathes twice per year. The top of the inhale is summer and winter, the bass are out deeper. As the exhale starts in spring and fall they start moving up more shallow, and often in predictable routes. It isn't a perfect analogy, but it helps me if they aren't where I think they are supposed to be, I know which direction to move out a little deeper or move up a little shallower.
If you aren't fishing from a boat, buy a pool thermometer and tie it to a rock or something and chuck it in the water at least 5' deep. Let it sit for 5 minutes then pull it back out and see what the temperature is... it'll be the best $10 you ever spend on fishing.
Last thing, just read everything you can get your hands on, including books. At some point you start to see patterns between it all.
1) Chatterbait
2) Chatterbait (seriously)
3) Keitech Fat 3.8 or Biospawn with an owner flashy swimmer. Does really well in the weeds, and has a little more flash (willow) or noise (colorado) than the swimjig.
4) Toad; I like the Keitech Toads. If you get the Keitechs, a 1/8 oz 3/0 swimbait hook gives it a fall rate about like a senko.
Some other thoughts:
Intersection of shallow and deep water; depending on the bass season I might be deeper or shallower, but deep (relative to that part of the lake) water nearby may make a difference. My three biggest fish were all within 50 feet of deep water, 4 was 75-100ft , 5 was right next to a weed edge dropoff.
If you are catching smaller fish, turn around and cast the other direction. It's not a perfect analogy, but it's been helpful for me in the past - by and large the bigger fish are going to run a little deeper, so maybe there's a feature that is out a little deeper than where you are. Fish that too.
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