I usually rip the bait without any pauses but that doesn't seem to be doing the trick.  How do you guys use them?

It's ALL in the pause.

You can experiment with the timing but you MUST use even a momentary pause.

The beauty of the pointer is that it suspends so well, you eliminate this quality by not pausing the bait.

Long pauses can be killers and is one reason why this bait has it's outstanding reputation.

Good luck and have fun.

avid