Trapping Leeches

[CNDFish]

I'm looking for info on trapping leeches. My dad has a pond that is full of ribbon leeches and I need an efficient method to catch them. Right now I'm using a coffee can with holes in it, I have gotten some but I think there should be a better method.

thanks in advance,

Shawn
www.fishingxcanada.com

[mnjimcarp]

shawn, an inexpensive method is to use an old onion sack. put your fresh meat (bait) in the onion sack, and tie the open end shut with the same cord or rope that you will retrieve the sack in with. couple of things to consider - make the rope long enough to get out in the pond approximately 10 - 12 feet from shore. if you toss the sack out on too long of a rope, some of the leeches will crawl out before you can pull the sack all the way in. good luck. we have caught hundreds of dozens with this simple method.

[Fishnrod]

Just a stupid question, but, what do you use for bait to catch leeches. Where I live, leeches are a new bait used by few anglers. Some guys order them, but Ive noticed that we're getting quite a population in some lakes.

[fishhunter]

bloody meat (liver)

[bigfish1965]

The TRUE Canadian method. Wrestle yer wifes cat for about 20 minutes making sure to recieve some deep scratches in your forearm. Swing your arm around in circles for 5 more minutes to really increase the bloodflow. Now stick your arm into your favourite warm bay for another 20 minutes. You should have a days supply of leeches and not have to mess with all that liver and stuff.

[mnjimcarp]

fishnrod, the best bait for leech trapping is fresh, red meat. the best thing is to find a butcher in your area that is willing to save some scraps, bones with a little fresh meat hanging on them. the old wives tale that the leeches like old rotten meat is not true. they love the fresh stuff. you will notice a huge difference in how many you catch with fresh meat versus old water soaked meat. water temperature has a big impact on how long the meat will last. for sure, you will not catch many leeches after about a week with same bait. freshen up and catch the little suckers.

[Mikey]

Same method using a burlap potatoe sack, but also put it into a large coffee can. Retrieve the can and its contents. You will lose fewer leaches this way.

[spooled]

How do you find where the leeches are? What kinds of places do the lurk in? It would sure save me some dough. I remember a fella on Lake Winnie comming back in with buckets full of leeches that he had caught for bait on their launches.

[Mike M (Sask)]

Hi Shawn

I catch a lot of my own leeches. I use a tin foil pie plate folded in half, I punch a hole through the lips of the pie plate to tie it shut and to retrieve it. Inside I place a piece of raw liver and a rock to weight it down. I leave about an 1/8" to a 1/4" gap between the lips of the plate for them to get in. I find the tin foil pie plate method to be very economical and simple. You simply bring it in, open it and slide the leeches into a pail. I have tried the coffee can with holes punched in it but its very difficult to get those little suckers out without cutting up your knuckles. The gunny sack idea I also found to be difficult to remove the leeches. I do this in the dark so I find the tin pie plates a lot easier. I usually trap leeches in sloughs and dugouts. I try to pick places that don't have fish. I usually throw the traps in about 1.5 to 3 feet of water. I usually put them in in the dark and pull them out in the dark. Usually in a 24 hour time frame. Hope this helps.

Good Fish'n
Mike M (Sask)