When I go to a lake I haven’t fished before I will try to find hydrographic maps of the lake and look for structure as a starting point. Anglers Atlas has a good amount of lakes. When I get to the lake, I head for the area I think may be a a starting point and look for holes drilled by previous anglers. If it’s a lake you can keep fish I start at holes that have blood around them showing that someone has had success at this spot.
I will drill a few holes in a line from shallow to deep,6 - 10 holes. Then I will drop the camera down , taking care not to let it slam into the bottom and rotate it, looking for fish. If I see some fish I will start in that hole , and put down the appropriate bait for the fish seen in the hole. I will typically set a tip up and then start hitting the other holes with a jig , spoon or rattling rap or Kamooki swim bait. Move between the drilled holes.. If I catch one quickly I usually drill another hole about 3 feet from the hole and set up my camera and tent. Often I will drill another hole in line with the first 2 so I can see both baits on screen. Then set one rod in a holder and use various baits to try to attract fish. Sometimes they hit the jigged bait, sometimes the still one. If they just come in and look and bump it but not strike, I lay a jig and minnow on the bottom and leave it there. Often the less aggressive fish will ignore the jigged hook and pick up the one on the bottom.
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