What's the best way to break down a lake and decide where to fish? Whether it's a new lake or your home lake.

Good question?

Use your graph!

First thing's first.......try to find a contour map of the lake you're fishing; depths, structure, types of cover, etc... Second study that and find your favorite spot/spots. Do some research on the lake. When you get to the lake and when you run to your spot, start eliminating things that you think won't hold fish, maybe idle around your area and see what shows up on your graph. Then take in your common factors, wind, depth, water clarity, baitfish, etc... Then go from there. You might not figure it out on your first trip, but eventually, you will. You also gotta find a pattern, don't be afraid to experiment with things either. Keep an open mind, think outside the box if you have to, and you'll do well. Good luck!

Study seasonal patterns, this will give you a good idea of the "what" to start with.
Study a good lake map, this will give you an idea of "where" to do "what". Go to the spots you found on the map and graph/image them to further understand the locations you found on the map, this will further help with the "where".
Once you figure out "what" and "where", look back at the map to find more locations that are the same or similiar to "where". This will allow you to reproduce the results and you are on your way to a pattern...
Of course, the fish don't read the same books we do (even if you leave them down by the lake and open to the page you wish them to learn.....) so be prepared to fish like hell and hope for the best!

The internet is a good place to start. Usually the most basic fishing report will give you an idea on where to start. Rip rap will hold fish year round. That's where I start. Try and put a depth pattern together and go from there. Second I look at main lake points. If a lake has docks and I catch a few, I try to find similar docks in the same depth. Creek channel bends near a shallow flat should hold fish too.

Ike spoke about this a few years ago at a bass university. Break it down into small lakes. Separate the lake into 4 smaller lakes.

Alot of times when on a new lake, I'll start with lures that allow me to cover alot of water like a crank or spinnerbait then when I find fish I slow down and use baits that allow me to really explore that location like a jig or soft plastics.

This is how I approach a new lake. First and most importantly is the season, so let's use Lake "A" you go to today (Summer). I immediately head to the damn rip rap early morning and throw a top water or parallel the rip rap with a spinner-bait or red-eye shad. Nearly guaranteed to catch some fish early doing that. Then using your topo map (just assumed any serious basser would already have that) and see if you have any humps or gradual drop offs/ledges coming off the damn. I'll take the appropriate crankbait (one that dives deeper than the deepest part of the drop off or reaches past the top of the hump) and alternate cranking to bouncing a jig down the drop for a solid 30 minutes.

After that produces or whatever is caught has stopped for 15 minutes I'll again have the nearest main-lake point which has a creek/river channel running close by and run up the deepest edge nearest the bank and throw a crankbait and drag a jig. I'll then quickly zig zag across the point looking for any brush-piles and, when one is located, I'll toss a jig with a rage tail right on top of it, then across it end to end.

I'll repeat the point approach on at least 4 points in descending order of probability. Next I'll have marked any boat dock areas where they have deeper water and flip a series of docks.

Finally, I'll map any creek channel or river bends near shallow water and any deep water humps for afternoon fishing.

Thanks guys. OLDARMY1, schooling new army on this one...

thanks guys i really appreciate all the input