McDonald, who loves the competition of trout tournaments and has targeted the species for 10 years, agrees.

"When the water temperature starts to drop around the end of October," the angler explained, "shrimp move out of the bay and into the rivers as far as the salinity will allow. And the trout will follow the bait."

McDonald added that trout are also following their instincts to seek the deep holes where they winter.

"Deepwater holes hold fish because they provide the salinity trout need," he noted.

Though the Red Cross bills its event as a causeway tournament, McDonald prefers to fish the smaller rivers flowing into the bay south of Mobile -- places like the Fowl and Dog rivers and the Theodore Industrial Canal. In fact, his biggest fish so far was a gator trout that came from the canal and weighed 8 1/2 pounds.

Anglers can expect high numbers of fish in November and December, but may have to cull many short fish. McDonald said to expect the average keeper speckled trout to weigh 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.

Changing conditions -- water temperature, salinity and forage -- keep the trout moving and anglers scratching their heads. McDonald said the fish may be on the bottom of a deep hole one day, and the next, working the flats or suspended near a dropoff.

He begins a new day on the water by fishing where he caught fish last. If that does not work, McDonald is quick to move to an adjacent flat or to another deepwater sanctuary.

"Deep holes are good in November and December," he emphasized. "And since it doesn't get that cold, the trout move onto the flats to feed during the day."

McDonald said the depth of a deep is relative to its surrounding terrain. In the Industrial Canal, a "deep" hole may be 40 feet, but a hole next to a flat may only be 10 feet deep.

To find and catch fish in holes, McDonald bumps plastic grubs on the bottom. This avid trout angler also uses the time-tested method of slow-trolling over the holes, as it allows him to cover water quickly.

Depending on the current and depth of the water, McDonald's jigs weigh 1/4 to 3/8 of an ounce.

He fishes them on 12-pound-test monofilament tipped with an 18-inch fluorocarbon leader with the same strength rating.

If fish are suspended on the edge of the holes or on the flats, McDonald relies on a silver, 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Trap to eliminate unproductive water. He caught his big fish on the lipless crankbait.

"A Rat-L-Trap is a great locator lure," McDonald said, "because you can cover so much ground by making long casts with a 7-foot rod. Use a steady retrieve. Speckled trout will often strike when the lure snags grass and then breaks free."

For tournament information, call the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter at (251) 438-2571, or visit their Web site at www.redcrossalcoast.org. Their next tournament is scheduled for October 27, 2007.

LEWIS SMITH LAKE
Stripers
"When fishing in November, the biggest mistake anglers make is not being in the right area of the lake," said Bill Vines of Morris, who has been guiding for striped bass on Smith Lake since 1988. "They keep going back to the same places where they caught fish in the summer, not realizing that stripes migrate back to where they were in the spring."

As water temperatures decline, gizzard and threadfin shad leave the lower lake and move up the rivers and creeks. They are closely shadowed by striped bass.

"The first part of November," Vines continued, "there will still be a few fish down the lake. But by Thanksgiving, the majority of the stripes will be at least halfway up the lake or creeks.