You're asking a very broad question (which may be the reason no one has replied.)
What I would tell you to do is very different than what someone who spider rigs would tell you to do. So, how do you plan to fish? Cast jigs? Spider rig? Vertical jig? Long line? All of the above? There are loads of threads in the archives on each one.
The first step in catching fish is finding them in the first place. So:
1) Pick one lake and learn it like the back of your hand. Buy a good topo map and use it with your electronics.
2) Hook up with another CDC member who knows the lake or spend a day with a good guide and pick his brain.