Determining visibility is easy. Tie something bright (white) to your line. Drop it over the side and see how far down it goes before it disappears. Crystal clear water is usually not a fisherman's best friend.
Technology is the easy way to discover the bottom and its depth. It can also be done with a Carolina rig or a jig. Tie one or the other on and start casting. You should be able to tell the difference between sand, mud, pebbles and rock. You will also discover cover such as logs, stumps, rockpiles, sunken boats....
Structure, the contours of the pond, is a little harder with this method. And no, there wont always be cover. If that's the case the fish will be holding on slight differences in structure.