May is when the action on southeastern Ohio's bass lakes really picks up. Big bass begin actively feeding after the lean winter months, and the annual spawn is underway. The lunkers may be found in shallow water and catching them is a real possibility.

Mike Greenlee, an Ohio Division of Wildlife fisheries biologist who covers the southeastern region of the Buckeye State, manages a lot of top waters, but has settled on a list of what he considers to be the top five in his management area.

Greenlee's top-rated lakes are the result of the ODOW's hard work and number crunching.

There are admittedly a couple of surprises in the list, but the data doesn't lie.

Greenlee explained that information obtained over the last few years was combined to form an overall picture. Catch rates and the density of 15-inch bass are the two top criteria that go into his formula. Catch rates indicate how many bass are counted using the division's electro-shocking equipment, and density rates are the comparison between how many of those bass are at least 15 inches long.

"In this case, the lakes that made the list have higher-than-average catch rates and higher-than-average numbers of big bass compared to smaller ones in the same waters," said Greenlee. "Our top lakes are the ones with the right combination of quality and quantity."

For most of us, the definition of a good bass lake always boils down to a place we can go to catch a few nice-sized bass and occasionally tangle with a 5-pound-plus lunker.

Here's a look at Greenlee's picks for the top-rated lakes in the southeastern region in 2009:

BURR OAK RESERVOIR
Burr Oak Lake is no stranger to the "best-bet" list of largemouth lakes in southeastern Ohio. The lake has been producing good numbers of bucketmouths for a long time.

Fisheries surveys are conducted only two or three times in a six-year period on most other Ohio lakes, but Burr Oak is the only lake of our "top five" that is sampled annually.

Sarah Drake of Burr Oak Outfitters hears a lot about the lake's good bassin' from her customers.

"White baits are popular in spring and then the bass's preference seems to change to green pumpkin as the water warms up in the summer," Drake said. "One angler we know who catches a lot of bass prefers jigs in either white or black."

The lake has numerous year-classes of bass and a wide variety of sizes, including a few 6-pounders. A recent ODOW survey showed that a very impressive 70 percent of the bass caught were at least 12 inches in length, and an even more impressive 43 percent of them measured at least 15 inches.

Spring spots to try are near fallen trees, submerged stumps, shallow bays and dropoffs.

Big bass are taken up in the coves and off the Dock 4 Marina. There is a point extending out from Dock 4 and an early-warming channel lies along the roadway in the same area. The shallow sections of the bays and the rocky banks keep springtime bass hugging the shoreline.

Target weed edges next to deeper water as the lake warms up. When the bass are deep, try jigging around the lake's seven submerged covered bridges and woody cover. One of Drake's customers has reported doing very well with either black or white jigs.

The water clarity in Burr Oak Lake is excellent and calls for a slow finesse approach with soft plastics and realistic crankbaits. Trophy bass are experienced and won't be easily fooled. Natural bait colors should be the rule.