I'm going to be fishing a local tournament next weekend on a lake I've never fished before.  Actually, this'll be my first tournament so I was just wondering if you guys had any tips or advice that might help me out.  I'm going to buy a few baits before hand and could also use some suggestions on what lures I should buy that will catch me fish come tourney day.  Any input is welcome and appreciated!

First tourney on a lake you have never fished before....Just fish what you are comfortable with and enjoy yourself.  

MORE INFO PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I know you haven't been on this lake before but do you know anything about this lake?  If you do please post it so we can help you further.

Anything will help.

txbass - that, I will do.  

Dock Master - The name of the 1330 acre lake is Devils Lake.  Max depth is 63 ft with quite a few holes and drop offs all around.   Fishing map guide claims the lake holds lots of big fish and plenty of bluegill, crappie, and perch.  P. crispus and milfoil for fish cover.  That's all I can really find out about it.  HTH.

My two uncles live/fish in Michigan as well. They tell me Carolina rigs with 6" watermelon/red flake lizards fished right next to drop offs with cover(grass, rocks etc) when the heats kicks up has been deadly for them! Also, a swimbait in baby bass color(MatteLures i think). BEST OF LUCK MAN!!!!!

Thanks Dink!  I'll try the c-rigged lizards.  The thing that sucks about shopping for tackle is I'm pretty much limited to wally worlds stock...  all the good stores are a decent drive away.  I'm excited though.  There's smallies in this lake too and I've never caught one before so hopefully I can hook up with one.  Keep the suggestions coming!  

Sounds to me as if you need to do your homework.

Are maps available? If so, have you purchased one and studied it?

Have you googled it to take a look at it?

Checked the weather to see if rain has the lake on a rise?

Water clear, tainted, and or muddy in spots?

Are the fish in Pre spawn, actively spawning, or post spawn?

Checked with any tackle shops to see if anything is hot?

Taken a trip to the lake to at least look at it from the road, or spend a couple of hours scouting it out if possible?

What's your game plan when you leave the ramp?

What are you going to do if/when the first spot or two fails to produce?

If you have not taken the time to do a few of the above you are going to hit the water blind.

Smallmouth or largemouth, which are you going to target?

What's the game plan for each?

You don't need to know what to throw at the fish from anyone on this site. We have no idea and cannot help you unless we have current knowledge of the lake. Conditions and the fish can and will change hourly. The lures that will produce will be the ones that best cover the part of the water column that the fish are in at that time. If the fish are in a chasing mood a lizzard will not be the most effective lure to use. You will need to get bit to find out what the best choice will be. That may mean covering a lot of water, throwing different lures, or sitting on a ledge or shallow flat. You will not know until you take the time to fish an area. This will put you at a distinct disadvantage with anyone that has been on the water before hand.

It will be a long and frustrating day unless you happen to pitch it into the mouths of a couple of decent fish. Tournament fishing is tough. You can do more to help yourself than anyone else.

The toughest bite to get is the first one. Learn from it!

Good luck,

Jack