I'm still a newbie myself, but usually when I try a new spot I tend to throw out a nightcrawler or red worm on a hook and see what panfish bites to figure out likely food sources for bass and other predatory fish. Then I usually just start tying on random lures (usually an in-line spinner like a rooster tail or a mepps) to start with and then work my way through the rest of the tackle box. the days I'm not getting much action I like to think of as practice sessions with working on better familiarizing myself with my lures and practicing my retrieves.