Cardinal,
Jeff's right...here in Ohio, the bass can be expected to spawn in early May & the gills in early June, usually in conjunction with the full moon. I have always been a C&R guy on bass & MOST gills, & I personally either fish streams or not at all in early thru mid May to try to "lay-off" spawning bass. Personally, I think keeping bass during the spawning period should be prohibited.
Mike