Bob - Been making my own ice spoons and pinmins for years. Yours look great. Try soldering a jig hook on a couple and try that. I like the horizontal lie that the jig hook gives. The smaller ones I tip with maggot or waxworm. The bigger ones I usually tip with minnow or minnow head. Never did tie feathers or hair on one though Just never thought of it.
I have used them lately with a little plastic but not enough to comment on their effectiveness that way. Tipping them with bait and fishing them thru the ice is the way I use them 90% of the time. They can be extra deadly on big perch. Bluegill jump all over them also. Crappies do also but not as good as perch and gill.
By the way the paint job on yours looks great.
Garminarmin gpsmap 1040 xs networked with Garmin gpsmap 1242 xsv , Panoptix PS 30 and PS 31. Livescope LVS 32
Ice rig Echomap Ultra 106SV with LVS 12 and GT10-IF