Jeff, you may also want to look into the wiggle minnow. It's a pattern that is very, very effective and popular on the smallmouth and trout rivers of North Carolina and Tenn. It basically will act like a rapala and is very simple to tie once you have the technique mastered. Darrin on the CFF forum has made a tutorial of it. I've fished it for trout, smallies and stripers in the salt, and it worked on all.

Charlie