LAKE JORDAN
Largemouth & Spotted Bass
According to the 2006 Alabama Bass Anglers Information Team (B.A.I.T.) annual report, Lake Jordan ranks as the top lake in overall quality indicator rankings.

The report went on to say that last year, Jordan showed great improvement in bass fishing and exceeded its previous 20-year peaks for bass per angler-day and pounds per angler-day.

Not only is Jordan a great all-around bass destination, it offers some of arguably the best spotted bass fishing found anywhere. Fortunately, good catches of both largemouth and spots are possible during November and December.

"Other than February," said Russ Lane of Wetumpka, "mid-November to mid-December is my favorite time of the year to fish Jordan."

Lane is a professional bass angler who honed his skills on the 6,900-acre lake, located north of Wetumpka. He is now a competitor on the BASS Master Elite and Majors trails and a two-time BASS Masters Classic qualifier.

"It's just before the coldest part of the year," Lane continued. "So the shad are less active and easier for the bass to catch. They're feeding aggressively, getting ready for water temperature to drop into the high 40s.

"The average largemouth or spotted bass will weigh in the 3-pound range, and you could expect to catch spotted bass weighing more than 4 pounds and largemouth around 5 pounds."

Lane's primary patterns pivot on flowing water. Like Rawleigh, he said that current is essential for success, but only in the case of spots. Alternatively, when the turbines are still, Lane switches to fishing for largemouths.

"This time of the year, the most important factor for spotted bass is current," Lane confirmed. "And the best current flow occurs in a 3- to 5-mile stretch below the Mitchell Dam.

"Many anglers think that spots move to the bank in the current, but that's not necessarily true. That time of year, big fish use bottom structure -- anything that breaks up the current flowing across the bottom -- and they may be 20 feet deep."

Small points along the banks that extend to the bottom, or rock piles in the middle of the river, often hold big spots. Of course, presenting a lure that deep in a strong current requires the right lure and technique.

"Use a 1-ounce Vicious spinnerbait rigged with two No. 4 willow-leaf blades," Lane advised. "It's important that the entire bait, including the blades, be a chartreuse color."

To cast the heavy lure, Lane uses a 7-foot rod for distance and 16-pound-test Gamma fluorocarbon line for depth.

"Start with your boat upstream from the bottom structure you want to fish," the angler advised. "Then make a long cast against the current. By the time your boat drifts back across the current break, your spinnerbait should be on the bottom.

"The spots strike so hard that they knock slack in your line," he cautioned.

To target Jordan's largemouths, Lane transitions to piers and boat docks. If it's sunny, he skips a 3/8-ounce Vicious jig rigged with a twin-tail grub into the darkest shade beneath docks.

Under overcast conditions, Lane swims the jig, using a hopping motion, down the sides of the pier. He said the fish hold on the back or front corner, and that you'll see the strike.

For current water and fishing conditions, call Big Fish Bait & Tackle in Wetumpka at (334) 567-7509.

MOBILE BAY
Speckled Trout
On Nov. 11 of last year, Michael McDonald won the American Red Cross Causeway Classic Trout tournament with a three-fish limit weighing 11.26 pounds. His biggest speck tipped the scales at 4 1/4 pounds.

The tournament is one of two fundraisers the Red Cross holds each year in either late October or early November. Organizers have found it's a perfect time to fish for speckled trout.