I make swimbaits, but the process is the same, I start with 120 and end with 440. If you make a big mistake you can fix it was epoxy putty or bondo. As was mentioned don’t get discouraged, I have a whole box of failures. You need to have the lip slot even and the bait symmetrical if you want it to run strait. I make the slot really tight so I can switch out lips when I am testing to figure out which one works best. Sometimes they just don’t run right, but you can tune it by adjusting the line tie. I really like Tupelo wood over balsa and basswood. I have not used cypress because I don’t know where to find any.