Elite Series angler, graphic illustrator, antique lure collector, salt water specialist and marketing guru, Bernie Schultz is one of the most well rounded anglers in the sport. With nearly $600,000 in B.A.S.S. winnings and another quarter million in FLW earnings, Bernie is recognized as one of the most consistent anglers on tour. We reached Bernie at his home in Gainesville, Florida and posed our series of 10 questions to him.
Q - Specialist vs. generalist – do you see yourself as one style or the other technique wise?
BS - Generalist...I like many techniques, and most have the potential for yielding big bass.
Q - In practice, better to cover lots of water or learn an area intimately?
BS - It depends on many factors, including time of year, weather, fishing pressure, etc. I prefer to learn any areas I plan to fish thoroughly. But most often I'm running lots of water to establish a pattern.
Q - How long do you try a pattern without a bite before abandoning it?
BS - Same as above...many factors will determine this. But confidence in a particular pattern will sometimes override other variables, such as weather, fishing pressure, etc. I try to keep an open mind while devloping any pattern, then be patient enough to establish the right pattern.
Q - Easier to win a local one day (BFL, etc.) or a 3-4 day regional/national?
BS - It's very difficult to remain consistent over the course of three or four day events.
Q - How much practice time do you believe is optimal for you to be able to compete effectively?
BS - Three days are usually enough. Any more and I get burned out, or the competition finds the same fish...
Q - How critical is bite timing (i.e., finding "afternoon" fish, "morning" fish, etc.) versus fishing your fish all day -- don't leave fish to find fish?
BS - Many times the bite is brief and may come early or late. That's usually determined by water temps. In early spring, I prefer afternoons. In late spring-early summer, I like the early hours. There are exceptions, but this is a good guideline to start with.
Q - In practice do you stick 'em or shake 'em?
BS - Stick very few if possible. Fish can be very territorial...so don't shoot yourself in the foot by wasting them in practice. I usually only stick enough to get an idea on size. And if I can determine that without sticking them, so much the better.
Q - Bank beating vs. structure fishing – do you prefer to comb large amounts of shallow water or drag fewer specific deep spots?
BS - I'm a shallow-water angler by nature. But that doesn't exclude expansive flats away from the shoreline, that are reasonably shallow.
Q - Any thoughts on making daily adjustments to your fish patterns (how critical)?
BS - Very critical! Always be open-minded. Things can change quickly, so be ready to adapt or you'll fall behind, making it difficult to catch up.
Q - Favorite big fish technique?
BS - With the exception of deep cranking, I like it all. Topwater, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, sight-fishing, and shallow cranking all rank high in my approach to any given body of water.
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