I have a great lake 50 miles away..If I was to fish it..which I plan to..this is what I do..maybe some of these may be a help to you..

A. find the lake on Google Earth..look for little islands..tributaries etc..structure.

B. While at the lake..find the cat tails..Bass love cat tails because they pretty much grow in sand that bass love for easy crayfish and tio build beds..

C. Some big lakes have reviews and their own forums...read these and you may find some good ideas or secrets..I've found out quite a bit of info..just by doing these things.

D.Use the wind to your advantage..drift a couple of rods over watrer 4-10 foot deep..until you find fish..This and using your depth finder should help you.Most bass live in the 8 foot range..they love 72 degrees..There was once an experiment..the Bass Professor had a long tank..One side was 100 degrees and the other 40..they continuously prefered the 72 mark...

E.Talk to local tackle shop people..They know what's happening.