I am looking for a some opinions on how to best pick apart a lake that I have never fished, we have a team tournament this coming sunday on a smaller body of water aprox. 450 acres that only a few have fished from our tight lipped club, neither my partner or myself have ever been on this lake or know anyone who has , I have obtained a few decent lake maps with the normal deph charts but not much other info, what I could see from the road that passes near the lake is that it seems to have some riprap rock shore walls and a ton of good looking veg/lillypads on the smaller of the two lakes that are connected by a culvert. I am just looking for some general pointers to mull over so I can feel I am thinking on taking the correct approach to conquer this new lake, we have a normal 6-2pm team tournament with a 5 fish limit
I am looking for any pointers that have worked for other t-anglers
Thank you

If you know nothing about the lake, approach it like you would any other lake. Start off with what you know. If you like dragging rigs on points in the summer, then find a couple good points with creek channel swings next to them. If you like flipping or cranking deep timber, try that.

Spend time looking at the map, and mark some spots that have structure that looks productive. Start there and eliminate water. After fishing for a while, you should learn something about the lake and the way it fishes, and you will maybe catch onto something, or see something else that looks fishy.

Catch a few fish, and hopefully you can pattern a depth or type of structure they are relating to.

I always try to fish to my strengths when possible. Fortunately, I have never been too far out of my element. Will you be able to practice at all? On a small lake you should be able to eliminate dead water quickly.

I was fishing with a club that went to lakes that I had never been to before...In my first 3 tournaments I managed a 1st,2nd and 3rd...the biggest thing I can tell you is to not overthink it,bass are still bass no matter where you are..I tried to keep it as simple as possible...if the wind was blowing,Id pick up a spinnerbait.If the sun is out and beating down,I would focus on docks,if they were spawning,I would fish the backs of creeks and beds....If I was you,first and foremost figure out if there is docks on the lake,if so,start there...docks almost always hold bass.After that,look at points...just fish the conditions.Good luck.

~Mike

Pick your most 3 confident baits...and run with it...cover some water at first until the fish tell you what they like and what is going on...from there...have fun...and dont forget your swimbaits...I dont think anyone else will be throwing any swimbaits over 4" if that...

Gather all the info you can on the lake(WEb, local info, etc.)
Stay away from dock talk
Hours of map study.
Pick the type of water you have the most confidence in
Set up a track of GPS points that cover these types of areas
Spend the first prefish day learning to navigate and check the points marked
Depending on how the first day goes set up your run.
If first day was good go back and idle over checking for sweetspots
Don't try to learn the entire lake
Pick an area(Upper,Lower, large bay with creeks, etc.),Learn it well

My Partner and I have never fish Lake Bonham and will attack it tomorrow in the RHBC Tournament.

Our mission is to have fun, and fish the lake on our confidence baits and see what it kicks out. That way next time we go, we know where to start and not to start.

I think the key is to never give up or let your mind get off track.

+20 I fished a tournament 2 years in a row. we won both years. this is the first two times i was ever on this lake. DONT OVERTHINK!!!

Thanks folks
Most times I do not get my self to pumped up but this lakes has no docks pretty round in contour very few points on the maps no local dock talk that I can find, and it seems it is a drive by lake that most including myself have said I would love to fish that place some day well our day is tommorow and would like to attack it like I have other lakes, I will try and pick it apart and most importanant not think to much and have fun
Thank you very much for the confidence builder

Just put down the trolling motor, pick up the bait your most confident in and go fish. Don't worry about the whole lake, just the part your fishing right now. Once you figure out what the fish are doing, then go try to replicate.