new lake... new structure types

so, i moved. into me and my fiances first appartment!

sure enough after much effort. i convinced her to get the one with the lake 100yards from my front door  ;D       But im unsure how to approach it.

I only got about 8 hours on the lake so far before it froze over.    and mind you, i shore fish!

Theres lilypad beds near what looks like the most promising spot. (A semi protected cove with a storm drain pipe at the back. slow slope into the lake. with an obvious channel where the pads dont grow which im thinking is the path the drain digs out it rains. splits two pad beds with a fallen tree in the smaller of the two beds)       ive basically got that spot figured out!

but what im not sure how to approach is the other two main elements i can get tofrom shore.

1.   Sand/gravel mix bottom. (the bottom of the lakes im used to are all mud and silt with alot of dead leaves/sticks and some weeds mixed in. this things alot of sand for almost as far as i can cast)

2.   Drop off ledges.  (from what i could feel with my heaviest football jig.... the longest stretch of straight shoreline is a series of drop off ledges..... like small steps)

Im not sure how to approach the last two aspects of the lake yet. because i can only shore fish the ledges seem kind of difficult to fish. and the sand is so choked with debris (could have been because it was sooo late in the fall) that my football jig drug up more junk than fish!

Help..........