Moving into late May when the water temperature rises above 60 degrees and stays there, Collins starts looking for milfoil but admits that finding some in the right water is not a certainty. Eradication efforts have completely removed the plant in some areas and reduced the density of it in others.

"Even before the milfoil reaches the surface it is still a bass magnet. Running a Rat-L-Trap or spinnerbait over the pre-emergent stuff is a good way to find quick action. I love to toss topwaters around it, and a shad-imitating jerkbait is always a good choice. Watch for milfoil coming up along the main river. If you're really looking for a thrill, you can always throw a buzzbait and hope that your heart can take the strain."

CHICKAMAUGA LAKE
This reservoir does not have much of a current flow to improve bass fishing during the summer, but it sure makes up for it in the spring. Bedding conditions over most of the lake range from adequate to great, which makes it a good choice this month for the hit-and-run angler. However, just because you are almost positive that bass will be where you're casting does not mean that you will load the livewell.

Terry Maness lived in the area for years before moving to West Tennessee because of his job. He still misses Chickamauga, saying, "Around stumps and buckbrush -- really shallow water, traditional bassing spots -- you'll find beds this month. Sometimes they'll be active areas all month long but certainly during the entire length of the spawn.

"To work the bedding sites I like a finesse bait like one of the bigger tube lures or a jerkbait like the Fluke. If you're patient enough, you can get strikes by tossing a Rattlin' Rogue and working it so that it just dips, then pops back to the same place time and again. It's not a technique for most people, but it sure works."

Maness adds that as the spawn tapers off, the fish move to deeper water with secondary points receiving the most interest.

"Anywhere with an obvious contour break relating to what amounts to deep water on this shallow lake should be considered," he said. "The whole area around Mitchell Branch fits into this category and you won't find a better place to run a deep crankbait. Just thinking about May on Chickamauga is enough to make a body homesick."

WATTS BAR LAKE
Those of you who have been reading this magazine for more than a couple of years will recognize the name of Tom Evans. Tom was the photo editor for Game & Fish Publications and usually felt that if fish photos were needed, he should go catch the fish. This is not surprising, since he had been a pro guide before entering the magazine world and went right back to fishing afterward. When he settled near Watts Bar and hung out his shingle, those of us who know him figured out that there could only be one reason: great bass fishing.

"Watts Bar has it all," he admitted, "multiple species and something to fish for year around. In the spring, the bass are shallow and made to order for anybody who likes to throw a crankbait. You can start on the banks and channel edges on the lower end of the lake around the first of May and still find bass on the spawning flats close to the first of June on the upper end. The middle portion of the lake fits sort of between the two and is always worth looking at. This includes the Rockwood area for those who need a reference point."

Evans added that when the fish come off their beds they do what their kinfolk do virtually everywhere else: They head for deeper water. Dropoffs outside creek mouths and any points running from shallow to deep water have potential, as do channel edges.