The fly rod is a wonderful alternative. A nice strategy to have in the arsenal. Don't worry about fly fishing purists. This is smallmouth, largemouth and bluegill country, not the Land of the trout.
Experimentation is the essence of the sport.
Sometimes it's the fly rod tha counts, sometimes it's the fly. As for Clousers. Get the lightest weights available. The only rattles i use on Clousers are the metal ones, not glass or plastic. However, I've found the best technique is a lightweight Clouser fished slow.