Schultz thrives a long way from home

You'd think that Floridian Bernie Schultz would feel out of his element in northern New York at Oneida Lake. But Schultz has proven just the opposite is true. By making the Top 12 cut this week, Schultz now has four Top 12s to his credit at Oneida.

 

"It just matches my style," said Schultz. "Grass is the primary focus, but there are [boat] docks and shallow rock piles. This lake is conducive to a wide variety of lures, top-waters, spinnerbaits and slow baits, like soft plastics and jigs."

 

And Schultz has used a wide variety of lures this week. He entered the day in 12th place with 42-6. He said Saturday that his primary lure has been a Yamamoto Senko, both the 5- and 4-inch models in a greenpumpkin/watermelon laminate color pattern. But he's also caught fish on a new one-ounce Hildebrandt Double Deep spinnerbait, "which you can throw a country mile," a Rapala X-Rap (yellow perch color) crankbait, a Spro Bronzeye Frog and a Rapala Skitter Pop topwater lure.

 

"I've been really mixing it up," Schultz said. "The lake has been changing for me every day."

 

Unchanged is Schultz's success at Oneida. He finished eighth here in '06, 10th in '08 and ninth in '11. Schultz doesn't appear to be catching them today, according to BASSTrakk, but another Top 12 at Oneida is already assured.