I’d like to hear how you prepare for a tournament on an unfamiliar lake. What do you do to prepare for a tournament? Do you study Google earth before practice? On practice day, how long do you fish a certain spot? Just trying to better myself and wanting to hear how others get ready. Any feedback would be great to hear.

Lots of map study months before the tournament.
- COE Maps - Old Maps - Topo Maps - Nav. Apps. - Lake Master - Google Earth Pro for low water imaging. I find the best areas on the lake then go fish them for a couple of months before the BIG day. I try to find the best 3 Top Water Areas - The 3 best Mid-Range areas - And the 3 best 20 ft. contour areas that involve Irregular features at the base of the slopes. I move through these 9 areas and take only what I can get. Never hammer a good spot. The fish will be there for a long time if you take care of them.

I have articles on all of this if you would like to spend a couple of days reading. Send an Email to: fishnteacher@gmail.com

Email sent.

Just watch a couple of u tube videos, and go for it. LOL, Study any maps you can get ahold of, find out what year the lake was the lowest, then look at google earth. Look up past tournament results, then if possible put in as much time on the water prior to your event.

Just watch a couple of u tube videos, and go for it. LOL, Study any maps you can get ahold of, find out what year the lake was the lowest, then look at google earth. Look up past tournament results, then if possible put in as much time on the water prior to your event.

I will study my Navionics map on my computer to find certain areas I think will be good. If time permits, I will get in my boat and use my Humminbird graph with the Strike Smart card in it to narrow down the best spots on the parameters I enter into it.
From there I might Goggle some fishing reports for that lake to read about what’s going on during that month. After that I usually will format a plan to hopefully put me on the fish.
I have done all that also and after a full day of pre-fishing I will go in a complete 180 turn. Once on the water, I tend to allow the fish dictate what going on.

Tried it all.. and best approach has been to put trolling motor down at the ramp and start fishing.

Crank the trolling motor and cover water. Find some fish slow down and put together a pattern.

Starts with studying tournament results for that location that time of year. Need to know what weight you need to shoot for. Check weather and lake level patterns as you get within a week of practice/tournament. Rising water generally means get on the bank, falling water generally means look for the first best available cover away from the bank or find the nearest steaper banks. Cloudy/rainy/windy tends to mean moving noisy lures. Sunny/calmer weather tends to mean slower moving lures tight to cover. Exceptions to every rule but it's a start.

If it's a large lake or river, I'll look for a large cove, bay, or backwater that has habitat for all seasons (deep steap banks, shallow spawning flats, prominent submerged points humps or shallow vegetation, and defined creek channels feeding it), and commit to learning that area very well. If you find a type of cover or bank characteristic that works well in your starting area, you can use your maps or Google to find similar-looking habitat in other parts of the lake/river.

Be weary of "fish here with this lure" info even from trusted friends unless you where there and saw it work. Very difficult to replicate someone else's approach and it may have been weather, water level, water flow or any number of variables-dependent. Then there are some that will flat out lie. Best to figure it out on your own using an approach you feel comfortable with and like to do.

One rule I do tend to stick with is if I catch, see, or shake off 2-3 decent keepers I'll stop fishing that spot or stretch and look for similar-looking stuff nearby and drop waypoints or make mental notes. If they're only 14 inchers and I know I need 4 pounders maybe I'll dig that spot a little more to see if we can at least hit a 3 pounder before considering it an option. Again, exceptions to every rule.

There are several on here that have hit it on the head with what I try to do.
1. Look at recent tournament results.
2. Check water level and weather patterns and consider time of year.
3. I really study google earth and mapping on graphs.
4. When I practice I try to keep it very simple and get a couple bites and move, I rarely set the hook. Some will say this is wrong but I did this before and caught an 11 1/2 just setting the hook 1 time in an area which is not smart. So i look for bites now.
5. I try to find at least 3 patterns that will produce bites.
6. First and foremost be confident in what you are doing, DO NOT LISTEN TO DOCK TALK, this has spun out so many people. Try to fish your strength's.

The absolute best way to learn a lake is to go out with someone who is familiar with the lake and/or book a guide. But everybody here is a bass pro so they will type out how to "break down a body of water"

Some of my best tournaments have been showing up at the ramp that morning and fishing what I feel most comfortable with.

I like to hang out at the ramp and just put out the vibe. See what I get back. Mix in a little dock talk. Ask the boys how they did. Maybe spool up a Few reels on the ramp and get the boat ready then launch and just hang out. Ask a few guys what they plan to do the. Just go fishing. Follow a wrapped boat and see what he’s doing. It always comes to me.

Start a thread on the TFF saying you are planning to take your dad or kids out and need some general information. Be sure to point out that you're not looking for waypoints, specific spots, specific lures, or anyone's honey holes...which of course means that you are looking for specific spots, lures, and honey holes.

Throwing in something that sounds homespun like, "sure would like to see that kiddo get his line stretched" is a plus.

Above all else, don't go and find out for yourself, even if it is a 500 acre lake that you could fish in one day.