Greene County anglers have two premier bass lakes literally in our backyard. Two successful local tournament anglers help us take a closer look at how they differ and just how much they're alike when it comes to springtime bass fishing.

Major league tournament angler Ricky Shepherd has practically made a living fishing Cherokee and Douglas Lakes. It's hard to determine which he would call his home water. Regardless, Shepherd knows as much or more about bass fishing on Douglas as anyone.

In May, Shepherd said there will be two key target areas for catching the lake's largemouth bass that will be in all three modes of the spawn throughout the month. The lake's limited but healthy smallmouth population will have already spawned and aren't much of a secondary option in May.

"I've done awful well in the river upstream in early May," said Shepherd. "But keep in mind that they move up on main creek points too."

The veteran anger really likes his options on the upper end of the lake where the headwaters are formed after the French Broad is merged with the Nolichucky River.

"It's a shallow bite," added Shepherd.

He said it's a power fishing deal for him up around the bushes and brush with spinnerbaits and flippin' jigs dominating what he's doing for largemouths holding in two to three feet of water.

Again, Shepherd said during May and especially as the month goes on, you'll find bass on all sides of the spawn. Early, they'll be in the pre-span staging areas, and then shallow for the spawn itself, and finally backed off to deeper water in the post-spawn -- all in the merry month of May. This month is one of transition as the bass go through all three stages of the spawn.

During the pre-spawn, you can find a little Rat-L-Trap action on flats. Then Shepherd will switch to a Carolina-rigged lizard as a search tool as they get shallower. Once shallow, the spinnerbait and jig take over. You can also find largemouths staging on a few secondary points as they move shallow as well. From mid-month on, most of Shepherd's bass will come on jigs as they back away from shallow water and return to the pre-spawn staging areas and even deeper.

While they're shallow, Shepherd said you're going to catch a lot of numbers with a Carolina rig. The only problem is that most are on the small side. Even in the post spawn, he said you can stay shallow and catch all the male bass you want. As they back off is when you change with them.

Unlike Cherokee Lake, Douglas is void of any significant structure after the bass move away from the limited shallow cover. He said good electronics aboard your boat play an integral role after the spawn. Douglas' main lake proper is made up of a lot of slick banks, and you have to find the bass with your depth finder. Believe it or not, after the spawn is when Shepherd is going to target his bigger bass off points with a jig, and they can quickly get as deep as 30 feet.

As he said, Shepherd prefers the upper end in the first days of May, but turns to the mid-lake section on down to the dam from mid-month to the end. The major points on the main lake and in major creeks like Muddy Creek are where you'll find him and the majority of the largemouths.

In comparison, Shepherd said that Douglas Lake isn't the topwater lake that Cherokee is in May, but then again, Cherokee isn't the Carolina-rig lake that Douglas is either. There's a little topwater opportunity that starts in May, but Shepherd said it's not a primary method as its counterpart of Cherokee.

Douglas in May is more of a Rat-L-Trap, jig, spinnerbait or crankbait lake for bigger bass and then a Carolina-rig destination if you're looking to catch a lot of numbers. Shepherd said to boat anywhere from 25 to 30 bass in a given day is not uncommon when they're on a rig, and there will be a few two to three-pounders in the mix throughout May.

Later in the month, again, as the bigger bass move out of spawning areas back to pre-spawn staging areas and deeper, is when you'll catch your bigger Douglas largemouths. Shepherd said late in May, it's common to see tournaments won with 18 to 20-pounds or more of bass. At the end of May, in the post-spawn stage, is also when he said you're chances increase to catch anywhere from 7 to 10 bass in the 2.75-pound to 5-pound range.

Key ramps that put you in the middle of the May action include the Leadvale Ramp on the upper end of the lake, the TWRA Ramp in Dandridge, and the ramp at the dam on the lower end of the lake.

Matt Myers is a young gun on the tournament circuit as far as Cherokee Lake is concerned. However, what he's learned in a few short years is phenomenal--he's become at threat on both Cherokee and Douglas Lakes, but he prefers what Cherokee has to offer in May from the top down. Like Douglas, Myers said all three phases of the largemouth bass spawn can be experienced on Cherokee Lake in May.

"You have to fish your strengths," said Myers.

He added that everything from Carolina rigs, Flukes, spinnerbaits, shallow and deep crankbaits, jerkbaits and Shaky Head rigs to lipless crankbaits can play a role in May. But for Myers, it's the May topwater action that holds him there.

In the first few days of May, Myers said key pre-spawn sections will include those with staging areas alongside flats. Creek channels and sharp drops along points are also important to your success. Top pre-spawn lures like jerkbaits will draw plenty of attention. He likes a clown colored Rogue on clear days and a gold Rogue with a black back on cloudy ones. In addition, Myers said a spinnerbait is a good search tool for the pre-spawn period. Myers finds largemouth bass along flats, pea gravel points and red clay banks in anywhere as shallow as 8 to 10 feet in the pre-spawn mode and in as little as four feet of water to even six-inch depths once they move onto beds.

Smallmouths have already spawned by May and have already moved back out to deep water. But when May's water temperature approaches 70 degrees, Myers said the largemouths will be on the move to shallow areas waiting on the next full moon to go on the bed. He said they use the same migration routes that you find them in during the fall feeding frenzy as they follow baitfish back into creeks and coves.

May is a huge transition month as far as springtime goes, and Myers said everybody wants to catch the biggest bass possible and it can happen this month. Once you use the right search tools, you can find a pod of largemouths waiting to move in and catch a variety of bass.

During the actual spawn, largemouths will move to shallow areas around brush and bushes, and that's when he changes gears with them. Myers said the topwater bite on Cherokee starts once the temperature gets to 70 degrees or so and really heats up around the 75-degree mark. When his temperature gauge hits 75 degrees, Myers goes to his go-to baits. He said Spooks and Pop-Rs take over in his boat. And he has no problem throwing them all day and even at high noon.

Early in May, Myers said the upper end of the lake warms quicker, and that means good action up around the Three Springs area. He said early in May to concentrate on the north side banks since they warm quicker than the rest of the lake. Later around mid-month, the mid section and on up the lake is where you'll find the best largemouth fishing from German Creek to just above Fall Creek.

The number of bass you can boat in a given day can be up or down, but Myers said during the pre-spawn with water temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees, you can do a lot of damage with a Rat-L-Trap. Once they're shallower, the topwater action is prime and some big bass can be in the offering. Myers went on to say you can catch all you want on top on some days and often most of them.

Myers said to expect to catch 10 to 12 good fish in May with your five best for the tournament scales weighing at least 12-pounds. However, if you hit them right you can put two to three pound class largemouths in your live well with the occasional five pounder. He said five pounders are more common in May. Myers added when the topwater action is at a high you can boat 25 or more easily.

In comparison, Myers said you can normally boat more largemouths on Douglas Lake on a given day with a Carolina rig than you will by far at Cherokee. But on the flipside, the topwater action, if you'll put your time in on it, will equal anything you can do at Douglas. Topwater will often provide 25 to 30 bass at Cherokee whereas you may only find five to six on top at Douglas, but he did say they'll be the biggest five you catch all day.

If you want to get a jump on the early May largemouth bass action, Myers said to put in at the Fall Creek Ramp and fish up to Three Springs. From mid-month on, you can put in at the Hwy. 25-E Bridge Ramp and have access to water from there down to German Creek or easily on up the lake as far as Fall Creek.