Fishing an unfamiliar lake can be daunting. Anglers commonly question where to even start, and too often the decision is somewhat random. Professional anglers regularly compete on waterways they have never even seen before, allowing minimal time for locating bass, and these anglers cannot afford to fish randomly. With that in mind, we spoke with 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones about his normal searching process.
"My first step will always be to find out all I can about the personality of the lake. I want to know whether it tends to be clear or stained, whether it has wood or rock, what kind of vegetation is in it, and that sort of thing.