Leeches

[LBrandt]

Anybody got any tips on how to keep them alive without spending 500$ on a fancy set up. The guy who has Fargo bait and tackle said to put in leech bag and drop in sump pump hole, as dry as it is my sump has not run all year so that's out.

 

[guywhofishes]

I keep mine (1 lb or less) successfully in a mini- fridge in a cooler that holds maybe one or two gallons. Each time I fish I exchange water at the end of the trip (pour water on shore and refill with lake water). I also remove any stiffies not doing well.

the secret is lots of water per leech, cold, and swap half the water with rainwater once a week if you aren't fishing.

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I have coolers for leeches to give away to anybody who wants one (Fargo).


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This model cooler is perfect. Fits most shelves, lots of capacity for its size, great lid design for use in the boat.



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Once I had a disease wipe out my cooler of leeches. I bleached the cooler and sat it in the sun for few days. Never happened again. I've had terrific luck and I use a LOT of leeches at certain times of the year if pitching doesn't work.

 

[Tikka280ai]

I generally get away with an 1 gallon bucket of some sort, with a half pound of leeches and well water in the shop fridge and change the water weekly

 

[walleyeND]

I've just never had my leeches out perform my crawlers...any tips?

 

[Sub_Elect]

Also throw a really jagged rock in the bottom with your leeches. Lava rocks work well. They can sluff their skin off. It helps them stay alive. I usually use folgers coffee cans and change the water often. When you have rocks in the bottom there will be balls of goo floating in the water, it's their skin.

 

[guywhofishes]

I've just never had my leeches out perform my crawlers...any tips?

Slip bobbering is almost always the way I use leeches. And I use leeches a lot.

 

[Enslow]

When i used to use leeches before they were more expensive than lobster i would just keep them in the fridge and change the water 2 times a week. Well water of course. I havent bought leeches for a couple years now just because they are small and spendy.

 

[raider]

Slip bobbering is almost always the way I use leeches. And I use leeches a lot.

i gladly trade a 1/4# of leaches @ bout $15 for 50 to 100 walleyes whenever possible... what a relaxing way to fish...

 

[Vollmers]

When i used to use leeches before they were more expensive than lobster i would just keep them in the fridge and change the water 2 times a week. Well water of course. I havent bought leeches for a couple years now just because they are small and spendy.

I picked a half pound at Petes this last weekend for $13 but they were BIG!

 

[Duckslayer100]

I pickled a half pound at Petes this last weekend for $13 but they were BIG!

That's how I read your post, and I thought to myself, "well, I guess now I've heard everything."

 

[guywhofishes]

I picked a half pound at Petes this last weekend for $13 but they were BIG!

that's a great price

I always buy "lake run". Devils Lake walleyes are goofy - sometimes they highly prefer the smaller leeches. Having lake run assures you have a variety of sizes.

plus - panfish adore leeches so using them up the smaller ones is easy peasy if need be

 

[Fishmission]

I keep mine (1 lb or less) successfully in a mini- fridge in a cooler that holds maybe one or two gallons. Each time I fish I exchange water at the end of the trip (pour water on shore and refill with lake water). I also remove any stiffies not doing well.

the secret is lots of water per leech, cold, and swap half the water with rainwater once a week if you aren't fishing.

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I have coolers for leeches to give away to anybody who wants one (Fargo).


I am more interested in the beer inventory. Besides the Stella and Coors light, what are the gold label ones?

 

[espringers]

a bigger container than they are sold in. a rock or some clean sand. a fridge. change the water every few days.

 

[guywhofishes]

ha ha - various strays/orphans - I am always trying new stuff

Shiner Bock belgian whites - pretty decent

p.s. that fridge stinks BTW - been a few crawler box nightmares over the last decade or so it's been in use

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I don't ever use rocks, etc. just a bare cooler

I simply load that same cooler from fridge into the boat, go fishing, water stays cold all day - by end of day it's ready for a lake water swap

return that cooler to fridge when I get back

the less handling the less disease - plus once the walls of the container get a waste-converting biomass going you want it to keep going - like an aquarium

 

[Fishmission]

I'll give those shiner white wings a try. Thumbs Up