New to freshwater

[Osprey16]

I've been fishing in saltwater for years and finally decided to give freshwater a try this year. I live about 5 minutes from the Assunpink lakes, so the past couple days I've been screwing around with a little rapala with no luck. I don't have a boat, so maybe being stuck on the shore hurts my chances. Maybe it's just too early and too cold. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction just to get started fishing these lakes for bass, pickerel, or really anything that will put a bend in my rod. Thanks!