Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Leeches?

I have not used a leech for bait for years. When I did, I like the toughness of the little suckers.

Any of the good anglers on the old 'fire like to us leeches?

Richard, while they will catch everything, I only specifically use them for Smallmouth.

What rig Paul? Spinner, jig, other?

Leeches can be great bait on the right lake. Some lakes just don't respond to them. They're much tougher than a crawler or minnow and easier to handle than either as well. They don't excel in the Missouri River near here but they do in the glacial lakes in the NE part of this state.

We have used them successfully on jigs and slip bobbers.

Several leech imitations in the fly fishing world, and they are very effective. Surf up a wooly bugger.

I’ve caught fish on a Wooly Bugger, but never fished with a real leech. Never heard of anyone using them for bait around here.

Leaches are great up here, I rig them on a slip bobber. I've caught bass, walleye, northern and musky with them. Plus, when my son was little, leaches kept him very preoccupied in the boat! Haha!

A very effective bait for walleye in our prairie lakes particularly in the spring. Works with any live bait setup, I generally prefer slip bobber. Should work for any species, people around here seem to believe no other fish is worth eating.

For Smallies, always a jig.

Been slaying the big walleye on bottom bouncers, spinners n minnows, or worm harnesses, though !

I sold a young fellow I was working with a ultra light fishing rig. The next week I brought my canoe to the job sight and took him fishing on Spiritwood lake in ND. The guy at the resort told us that the northerns were having a case of lock jaw so we rigged with small black jigs and small leaches and headed to the downed timber on the west end of the lake for crappies, no crappies but we boated three northerns that totaled just over 50 pounds. We did lose a couple more that ate our jigs. 6# line, eighth ounce black jigs and small leeches. You've never seen a grin like the one on the young fellows face.

Yup, good fun on 6lb power pro & a St. Croix ultra light !

So how do you hook those golden shiners for bait?

Leeches will last a long time with a little maintenance. When you're ready to store them, transfer them to a much larger container. I use a large zip lock style tub about the length of a standard refrigerator shelf and 8 inches wide. Poor them into the tub and try to rinse most of the slime off. I've only rinsed them using lake water - I've never tried city water with its attendant chemicals. After rinsing, fill the tub to around half full and snap the lid in place and put the whole works into the fridge. The cold and dark of the fridge will put them into a state of hibernation. Once a week, remove the tub from the fridge and give them another rinse, remove any dead leeches and place them right back into the fridge

I've kept the same leeches up to two months using this method.

Up in MN we used them for Smallmouths w. only a 1/8 oz. black jig and the leech on it. Works great! Lake or stream - great bait!

I used them all the time on the Wisconsin River by the Dells. Downstream from the dam, walleye love them

Used them for years for bass. Especially in shallow water when fish are finicky or lure shy. jumbo leech on plain #6 hook. Bass will take it when leech sinks slowly. Just watch for when the line starts going out.

Leeches are a great bait for big bluegill in the spring/early summer.

Used em for walleyes up north and they work real well. Will be trying them on a local lake we catch walleyes on but normally use crankbaits. Just want to see if the leech works as good on it.

Buddy like them for trotlines as they are easy to maintain and keep alive. He caught a 92# flathead on them about 20 years ago.