Jitterbugs

[Bankbeater]

How do you fish these at night? Do you bring them in with a steady retrieve or work them like a popper?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

try everything and see what works for you but my favorite retrieve is slow and steady and my second favorite is slow and steady with some pauses.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Yep what he said, and it is also a good idea to use a 5/8 oz size.

[Grey Wolf]

Slow and steady.

[Bankbeater]

Thanks

[.ghoti.]

try everything and see what works for you but my favorite retrieve is slow and steady and my second favorite is slow and steady with some pauses.

That's it.

If you try popping this bait, the hooks tend to get fouled in the line, particularly the smaller size.

[EdKras]

Reel it steady.  It takes some practice since you can't see the bait, but start with your rod tip high and bring it down to the water as the bait gets closer.  Make sure you can hear it working as it comes in and be aware of what noise it was making when a fish hits.  That will tell you what retrieve speed to use.

[Brad_Coovert]

Steady retrieve or maybe a few pauses thrown in.

Just listen for the plop, plop, plop, plop, BAM!

I love the Jitterbug.

Brad

[whittler]

If you ever wonder why a bait is still around and almost unchanged for well over a half century the Jitterbug is a prime example, it catches fish.

[SuskyDude]

The Jitterbug is arguably the best night time topwater bait. Never had anything come close to outperforming it for LM.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Do not use if you're a heart attack risk!  

[moby bass]

Do not use if you're a heart attack risk!  

Boy, amen to that.  15 minutes or so of soft plop plop plops and then

the water exploding can be somewhat startling.

[snapper G]

You just reel and stop it once ever so cranks, the bass will most of the time wake it when you stop it!

[Muddy]

Let the bass tell you what they want. I fish the 5/8 Black frequently at night, most of the time they want it moving, so long as you have that plop sound going. Sometimes, pretty infrequently thay do go after one that I stop for a bit, i find that the hit on those nights comes as I start up the retrieve again.

[J Francho]

Almost all my night fishing is steady, especially if there isn't a moon to help them visually locate the bait.

[CWB]

For a change, try the musky version. Some huge bass have been caught on these. Switch out the stock side hooks with short shank 1/0 treble to reduce tangling on casts. Not for the faint of heart, especially if there are muskies in the waters you fish like up north here. Slow and steady works best. Gives fish a path to home in on.

[Andrew Coleman]

Like everyone has said, the slow and steady with some pauses is excellent. I use a solid black jitterbug i got from my grandpa that he used when he was my age, top notch bait.

[Muddy]

My favorite is actually the discontinued larger Jitterstick! Same Jitterbug lip,longer profile with a prop on the back