Today I fished a tournament Down here at my local lake. The day was perfect it was overcast all day with a light shower here n there.

I started the day by throwing the green pumkin with a chartruese belly rage toad. I was catching a few fish but most of them wasn't taking the bait good enough to get hooked.

The lil fish would inhale it but the larger (3 lbs plus) would wake up on the bait and nip at it. I only had that color on the boat besides its the only one I've had the most success on.

On the retreive I started leting the bait fall when a fish would wake up behind it. It worked for a while till I ran out of baits. I went through 3 packs of the toads becouse of the short strikes. The would eat the feet right off the bait.

After I ran out I started throwing a chartruese and white buzzbait and it was the same story. I had to let the bait fall when they waked up on it in order for them to strike.

I made the best of to I took second place with 16.43 lbs.

I was just wondering If a color change might have made a difference with the strikes?

I didn't want to experiment on the water during a tournament so I didn't try anything new. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe not I was only .2 away from first.

Did you try a quick stop and go when they were following it?

yes I did I poped it twitched it and more.

I figured you did.

Hate to ask this of a tourny fisherman, but were you using a trailer on your buzzbait???

ALWAYS AND FOREVER

They didn't short strike the buzzbait they would just wake up on it

In my experience, fish that do that are feeding, but whatever it is they are looking for, is not exactly what you are providing.  I might have tried a spinner bait just under the surface, since they seemed to want to strike your lure under the water.  Or a Ragetail shad, burned under the surface.  You were enticing them on the surface, but they wanted something under the water for some reason.

It was a tuff day on the water. The wind was blowing 20mph and I was fishing in the thickest of grass. So my lures was limited as what I could throw. No worms, jigs or spinnerbaits. The buzzbait was almost not an option. I could've thrown a senko but the dinks killem down here so the bigger fish don't even get a chance.

Consider adding a clamshell weight onto the hook shank of your spinnerbait to give it more weight to throw into the wind.

Color may have been the problem.  I changed colors when the smallies were following my cranks on the James River and I caught four after that.

You probably did all you could this time out and you did great.  Congrats on your success and finish in the tournament.  

NO matter what you still brought in A SACK! good job

Any time I have fish blow up on top water baits or wake them I will immediately drop that rod on the deck and follow up with a Texas Rigged worm.

You a Louisiana Boy and you don't know that trick?  

It most like was a color issue judging from similar past occurances I've had. Usually then I go to more subtle colors then. If they are actually busting the surface, I'd have a weightless senko ready, and handy, to chuck right back in there as quickly as possible. Congrats on your finish.

I just finished 2nd in a club tourney a week ago. 2nd place is nice, but first would have been so much better. I, like you, immediately wondered what I could have done different to get them to bite better. Practice day before was raining all day, and 75 degrees, with a light breeze. Tourney day, bright blue skys, 85, and wind about 15-20 mph. A little different conditions, and finally in the afternoon of the tourney was able to figure them out. Again, good job on your finish.