Fishing Double Without The Trouble

Candle opts for a #2 light-wire worm hook for plastic baits, which he rigs Texas-style or exposed, depending on the cover. For live minnows, leeches, and nose-hooking plastic baits, he prefers a #4 or #6 drop-shot hook. He stresses that light hooks are crucial to lively action.

Due to the resistance of the drop-shot bait, Candle loses control of the rig if he goes with a jig lighter than 1/4 ounce. When he fishes timber and other abrasive cover, he relies on 8-pound-test Berkley Iron Silk. In more open water, he prefers 8-pound Berkley Sensation. These lines run through the guides of a Berkley Series One 6-foot, 6-inch medium-light or medium-power spinning rod to the spool of an Abu-Garcia Cardinal 100 reel.

DROP-SHOTTING TIMBER

When Candle fishes standing timber, he lets the drop-shot rig sink straight down next to the trunk of a tree. The vertical presentation provides maximum control and reduces snagging.

"I'm not trying to get doubles when I drop-shot in timber," Candle says. "The rig lets me show walleyes two baits at different depths. That helps me figure out exactly what they want and how deep they are."

Candle often fishes standing timber in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and claims standing timber also produces walleyes in reservoirs such as Table Rock, Missouri, and Bull Shoals, Arkansas. He fares best while drop-shotting standing timber in early spring because the wood absorbs the sun's heat and warms the water around it. This, in turn, attracts walleyes. Trees close to creek channels, river channels, and rocky bottoms are high on Candle's priority list.