How to figure out a lake you have never been to
Paper Maps
For you old school guys and gals, I'm sure you've seen the old paper maps like Hook-N-Line or Fishing Hot Spots, which you can still purchase the latter. These maps are a great source to study lakes as you can see them in full view without squinting at a computer screen. They will show you where all the points are, channel swings, creeks, drains, etc. Most will also have some marked areas where you can catch some fish.
Topographical maps like Google Earth
Using these types of tools on your computer or phone, you can find plenty of structure that bass should be on. You can also zoom in tight to view those areas in higher detail than a paper map. Also, most of these tools offer a way to view past lake levels, especially during droughts, so you can see the bottom when the water isn't covering it showing you all the rock piles, points, ledges, sunken tires or boats that you should be focused on which will definitely help you catch more bass.
Example of an underwater point with rock pile on Lake Buchanan.
What to look for
Things you want to find are rock piles, brush piles, points, underwater points, ledges, channel swings and any other type of structure that will hold bass. Sometimes you can find where the grass is if a lake has some.
Time of Year
The number one thing to do when you start to disect a lake is know what time of year it is when you will be fishing. Bass stage in different places depending on this.
If it is winter, they can be really deep, hanging where the water stays more of a constant temperature. Look for deep channel swings possibly as deep as 40-60 feet of water depending on how cold it has been. If there are some warmer days, they can move up shallow to feed and warm up. This time of year, the temperature can change quickly up and down so normally it's better fishing when the temperature is steady for about 3 days in a row.
In the spring, bass move in shallow, first on the points and then eventually towards the back of coves and creeks to get ready for the spawn. This is when you can catch the largest fish of the year, as the females are full of eggs and are eating up to get ready to spawn. It's best this time of year to find some nice flats where these fish will spawn and look for areas close to here that have some depth to them as this is where these bass will stage up and feed before moving on to the flats to spawn. You can generally catch bass in numbers and sometimes quite a few large ones. Once the spawn starts up, generally when the water tempertaures reach a steady 60 degrees, you can then find those fish on the flats or shallow ledges either on beds or close to spawning, cruising the shallows.
As Summer moves in, look for bass on the areas outside of the spawning flats and shallow areas on points or deeper ledges as they recuperate and gain their energy back. As they do this, they will feed more and more and come back in shallow to hunt and eat the other fish that spawn later like shad, bluegill, talapia and carp. At this time, you can run the banks from the points and come across plenty of bass to catch. It's best earlier in the day but can be good later in the day as well before it gets really hot. Once summer is rolling along good and the days get hotter and hotter, this is the best time of year to fish in the deeper coves and marinas as the shad will pile up in the shade in those areas and the bass will school up good and feed on them. It's also sometimes best to fish at night as the day brings too many people out and the lakes get more and more crowded with recreational traffic.
Fall time is a great time of the year to catch some good fish. They are really starting to gain some weight and will feed heavily as winter approaches as they know their metabolism will slow way down and they won't eat as often in the colder water months. You can find some bass in the backs of coves feeding early and in and around the mouths of coves and creeks throughout the day so concentrate on those areas.
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