7" or 9" Slammer is hard to beat as a starter hard bait. Not super pricey, easy to fish, and they're light enough to throw on a flipping stick if you're not ready to commit to buying a swimbait combo.
I tried almost the exact same thing with an MS Eel, but it didn't come out as nice. My most ambitious project was a frog pattern Sea Fly (3oz, wood, saltwater Jitterbug) It looked good enough to fish at night.
Those snake baits are sweet looking! Who makes them and how do they look in the water?
A guy called Woodtail Joe used to make them. They swim just like a snake...awsome action.
He also made a lure called the woodtail it is like a slammer but it cranks way down.
Thanks for the info! I'm familiar enough with the Woodtails from being on the NEF forum, but by the time I started fishing swimbaits, he had stopped making baits.