NOVEMBER
Striped Bass/Lake Martin
During November, target Martin's big striped bass by slowly dragging large and lively gizzard shad 40 feet behind side-planer boards. An average striper on this rig weighs more than 20 pounds, with an occasional 30-pounder.

Deploy two planers on each side of your boat to search the Tallapoosa River or Elkahatchee Creek arms of the lake. The boards let you put the bait on top of fish in shallow water without spooking them, and cover a lot of water. Since big fish do not travel in schools, this technique does not produce high numbers of stripers, but many think this method will produce the next state record from Martin. To keep the big striped bass alive, fish shad on a 5/0 Daiichi circle hook.

To book a guided trip, call Jim Parramore at (205) 533-3664 or (205) 699-1886.

Other Hotspots
The smallmouth bite continues below Wheeler Dam wherever structure causes a current break.

November is also a great month to catch speckled trout from our coastal rivers off Mobile Bay.

DECEMBER
Redfish/Orange Beach
Here's the perfect Christmas vacation for the avid angler: a trip to balmy Orange Beach to catch tackle-wrecking redfish weighing 20 to 30 pounds. As water temperatures cool, huge schools of red minnows and menhaden move into the area followed by schools of bull reds. Often, these schools are easily found by watching for diving birds just past the second sandbar from the beach. While the birds attack from above, big reds churn the surface to foam by slashing through the bait.

If you find reds under dive-bombing birds, fish poppers or stick baits on the surface. If not, troll deep-diving crankbaits in water 15 to 35 feet deep. A Mann's Stretch 25+ is a good search bait.

Other Hotspots
December is excellent for catching slab crappie on the Tombigbee River above Demopolis. Look for them on dropoffs where creeks enter the river.

Also, cold weather on Lake Martin Lake energizes spotted bass on main lake humps and points.