During light bite conditions, I like my leeches to be presented as naturally as possible. When working areas that are holding high concentrations of fish, I like to finesse these fish if they are being stubborn. I like to clip the sucker off the leech. The sucker can act like a scoop or a lip and can cause the leech to spin. Sometimes this spinning action can look un-natural. This is a tip that has worked well for me.
Hope these are not stupid questions!! Do you hook the leech in the small end? (opposite the sucker) When you cut the sucker off, do you cut the whole end off or just cut around the sucker? When I am rigging with leeches they always wrap up the line around themselves. Is there a way to prevent this?
Thanks
Sometimes I do hook them in the mouth end but most of the time I hook them under where the sucker should be. I use my finger nail and just pinch the sucker off. It also important to only single hook the leech meaning do not double barb the leech. I use large to jumbo size leeches to compensate for any size that may be lost when removing the sucker. If your leech is always wrapping itself around the line, replace that leech with a fresh one and keep the rest of your leeches slime free with frequent water changes. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Good luck.
Thanks Derek. I will have to try the sucker trick. I will be back up the second week of july for my third trip to Mille Lacs. I am slowly starting to learn the lake. I have been strictly rigging the mud and gravel so far. Hopefully the riging bite will still be going.
Good point Derek. To add to that, not all leeches were created equal. If you get a leech that is wrapping around your hook and line (in the water) change it. If you get one that doesn’t swim straight, change it. If you have been using it for a long period of time and not getting bit, change it. If your leech becomes light in color and very limp, change it. These are just a few examples, but you won’t catch me pulling around bait that is not fresh. Give it a try, it will up your catch rate, especially in clear water lakes like MIlle Lacs.
One more tip to help with the “Curling” leech problem….
Keep the leeches in water the same temp as the water you are fishing. I use the “Leech Bag” (or Leech Tamer) It’s a mesh bag that you put in the livewell. Since I started using the Leech Bag, I have noticed a significant decrease in curling leeches. I used to keep leeches in a container of water in the cooler.
I also use the Leech Bag for crawlers. I’ll toss a dozen or so in there and let them soak with the leeches. The crawlers will actually relax and get bigger the longer they are in water. No worm dirt to deal with either.
There are several companies making leech bags…I have seen them showing up at my local Fleet Farm. Here is a link to one of the companies that has a photo of what I’m talking about. http://www.driftcontrol.com/leech.html
Jon J.
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