Mark, I have to give credit, where credit is do. I got the tail idea from the one & only, "THE ROOKIE", yes Tater Hog Baits, Matt Mcbee. I called him & I let him know my story (very similar to yours) & he didn't mind one bit at all. Man, I kinda miss that guy.
The tail worked out better than I ever anticipated. It's like it added a new section to the bait.
The other thing I found out, when working with the two piece gills, is that I don't lay my siding sinkers (length wise) from side to side. I used to use pipe cleaners to hold the weight in place & they kept sliding out of place, so I used some of my girls really small pony tail rubber bands. I found that the bands turned the weights 90 degree's & the bait actually swam better than before. Here are some pics to help explain. Good luck & keep up the hard work.
Sorry, the one pic with pipe cleaners, is from another bait, but you get the idea.
Tim