Spawn Question/time Of Year Question

[mrcold]

Hey all, I just came back from our trip, and I'm already trying to figure out next year's trip. I have a couple of questions, though.

First, does anyone know where the spawn stands in the dam area? We saw a lot of what looked like beds, but no fish on them. But we were told at K-city that the smallies were just starting, and the spots and lmb hadn't even started yet. This wasn't what we had heard, but I wanted to see what the pros thought.

What would be your ideal time to head down? We're not sight fishermen (I'm the only one of the bunch who's done it, and I suck at it), so my only reason for preferring around or prior to spawn would be the availability of larger fish in shallower waters.

Thanks for any help. I'm trying to figure out if coming earlier than the second week of May would be helpful or detrimental...or "depends".

Brian