I’m wondering if anyone knows of a good method to catch leeches. I’ve heard the meat in the coffee can thing but looking for any suggestions along the lines of method, equipment, time of year, locations (lake or rivers). No doubt that I will continue to drop hundreds at the bait stores this summer but I’m kinda curious and want to give this a try. Thanks in advance!
Shallow muddy ponds and sloughs that do not hold ANY fish. 13 gallon garbage bags cut with small holes and bag filled with liver.
Time of year is now.
Set the traps in the evening and pull them in the morning before the sun comes up.
It helps to have buddys help out. The more traps the better and they need to be pulled before it gets light out. If not, they will exit the trap and burrow back into thier day time resting areas in the mud.
Time of year is now. Burlap gunny sacks or burlap feed bags. Take liver or road kill animal and place in one bag. Tie bag shut with as little extra bag material as possible around the bait (you want it as full of bait as possible). Place bag inside second gunny sack and tie shut. Put a weight like a brick inside the second bag to add weight. Place bag in muddy bottomed pond, creek or river backwater area. Leave in place a day or two. Remove bag while still dark early in the morning. Leeches will be attached to the outside of the inner bag. Burlap sacks are not as common as they used to be but they work the best as the holes are just the right size. You can get them at feed stores. I have a friend who gets his leeches this way. He prefers using road kill animals for bait and he says the bloodier the better. I seldom use many leeches and I’m not partial to picking up dead coon along side of the road.
Eyehunter
The coffee can method also works great. Make a bunch of holes with a hammer and nail. Doing this makes the holes sharp on the inside and the leeches can’t escape once they are inside. Fill it with liver.
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The coffee can method also works great. Make a bunch of holes with a hammer and nail. Doing this makes the holes sharp on the inside and the leeches can’t escape once they are inside. Fill it with liver.
How many holes and how big? I’ve read somewhere they should be up to 1/4″ diameter… hmmmm… what if I set up the can in the backyard and plugged it a bunch of times with the pellet gun? Might be more fun than punching it with hammer and nail 
. But seriously, if you use this method, it is as important to pull the trap before sunrise? I would think you’d have a bit longer ‘grace period’ if they can’t climb back out over the jagged inner edges….
I have a perfect spot to look for leeches – small muddy private pond with little to no fish in it… I may just have to make a can or two tonight and give it a try…
I’ve always just used your typical 3 inch or so nail..Number 10 maybe?? However many holes you want..The more the better. As far as swooping up the trap before sunlight doesn’t matter at all..It’s, afterall, a trap. We used to just leave ’em in the water for two or three days. Usually from one trap you’d get about a pound or so of leeches. The bigger the coffee can the better.
Would small shallow slews hold leeches? What are the differences between leeches and bloodsuckers. I have heard fish will not eat bloodsuckers?
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