Keeping Leaches Alive all summer???

[bsnyder]

:confused:Tired of ice and changing water everyday:tongue2:
Thinking of a small bar fridge set just above freezing,drilling an inzy and outzy hole in the sidesand circulating water out of a 5 gal pail:sick:Should work????
should I feed them and what with?????:huh:any info would help, THKS:wave:

[bardfromedson]

just change out the water once a week. don't use town water (treated) or the chlorene will kill them. don't feed them anything. if you feed them they will dirty up the water a lot faster and don't seem to live any longer.

[subman77]

hey i haven't fished with leeches before mainly because i cant stand to touch them!! LOL Do the powerbait leeches work as good? They sure seem real.

[CMMahy]

The father in law keeps his leeches in Ontario (not sure if ithey're the same species out here) in the original foam container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks without changing the water, all he does is put some rough stones (golf ball sized) in the bottom so they can scrape the slime off their sides. He swears by that, and I've seen the results first hand. As far as feeding them, some kind of live fish/minnow if you can find some that are legal to transport, or maybe something bloody like chicken or beef hearts could work, but I've never tried. Good luck!

[I-Love-Eyes]

hey i haven't fished with leeches before mainly because i cant stand to touch them!! LOL Do the powerbait leeches work as good? They sure seem real.

I can't stand to touch them either:tongue2:, but I can grab them if I use a cotton glove (which I use to handle a fish while un-hooking) or I use a pair of pliers to hold them.:wave:

The powerbait works well if you are moving...ie: trolling or casting and reeling,
but not so well if you are using slip bobbers.

In other words, the live leeches give a better action on slow presentations.

Also, depends on where you fish.

[tchow]

I've kept Leeches in the Fridge alive for close to 3 months. The trick is to change the water at least once a week. Remove the dead ones out and they can be washed with cold water from the tap. Pet stores will have a product called Aqua-plus which you add to tap water to declorinate. I will have a couple of gallons of declorinated water ready to use in the fridge. Once you wash the slime out and remove the dead ones, refill the container with the already chilled water from the fridge.
When I'm out camping, I will keep the Leeches in a Cooler along with Ice.
Although Leeches prefer to be in water, you can also place them into Leech Bedding. This is available at the majority of your Tackle shops. My personal experience is that I have found that the Leeches live longer with water than the Bedding. If I use the Bedding, once I will return them back into water and have no problems.
Never tried to feed them although I heard others have tried and usually end up doing more frequent water changes.

[hal53]

about once a week put them in a salt water bath....purges everything...then back into clean fresh water

[Drewski Canuck]

I've put some grass or weeds in the water with the leeches. As it decomposes, the leeches feed on it. They last alot longer. Maybe take some coon tails from the lake you are fishing and add that to your container. Change the water, but keep some grass in the container. It makes a world of difference.

Drewski

[hal53]

about once a week put them in a salt water bath....purges everything...then back into clean fresh water
oops!!!!...should have mentioned , we do that in the evening back at camp, briefly...then back into cold clear water on ice...also while fishing thru; the day change their water frequently as soon as it gets murky looking,,,seems to help

[bsnyder]

I can't stand to touch them either:tongue2:, but I can grab them if I use a cotton glove (which I use to handle a fish while un-hooking) or I use a pair of pliers to hold them.:wave:

The powerbait works well if you are moving...ie: trolling or casting and reeling,
but not so well if you are using slip bobbers.

In other words, the live leeches give a better action on slow presentations.

Also, depends on where you fish.

:lol:We were at the Vanity last year drifting and sudenly I could here the RANGER PRO,s laughing so I looked up and they were pointing at my wife as she was useing pliers to empale a leech.She wasnt impressed being laughed at :mad:ALTHOUGH she took it like a trooper:lol:She now grabs those suckers barehanded wiyhout a flinch.:DIm so proud of her:lol:

[Fishfinder]

save urself time n money...... Spend the 3 bucks. A leech will likely survive for 2 months in water, still hooked. Just keep them wet n cool.

[bsnyder]

no excuse for the real thing, many tournaments won with large live ones, none that I know of with fakeeees

[nicemustang]

save urself time n money...... Spend the 3 bucks. A leech will likely survive for 2 months in water, still hooked. Just keep them wet n cool.

I'd like to know where you find leeches for $3. Everywhere I've been it's 5.99 for 12 and 9.99 for 24.

Not to highjack the thread but, where do you guys get leeches? Any tips to get them for free out of a lake?

[bsnyder]

I'd like to know where you find leeches for $3. Everywhere I've been it's 5.99 for 12 and 9.99 for 24.

Not to highjack the thread but, where do you guys get leeches? Any tips to get them for free out of a lake?

:wave:I buy them from WHOLESLE sports or fishing hole, approx $50.00 a pound, picking up 3 pounds thursday.The spring ones last better.I would like to try trapping my own(live on cowan lake) and am trying to get educated on the subject as we speak:wave: ( you have to preorder leaches for the gooders):D

[I-Love-Eyes]

Yeah...:) Those slimy suckers are expensive!!! But they sure as heck catch fish:):)

Got some the other day at the covenience store on the highway for a quick trip to the lake...1/8 lb was 8 bucks!!!

[TJG]

no excuse for the real thing, many tournaments won with large live ones, none that I know of with fakeeees

X2
If u think the cost is too much
trap ur own, all it takes is time
and effort, and checking ur traps
early in the morning.

[bsnyder]

X2
If u think the cost is too much
trap ur own, all it takes is time
and effort, and checking ur traps
early in the morning.

:wave:I want to try but need to get a little more info on how.We have a house on Cowen lake and should have an abundance of them:)

[nicemustang]

Yeah I'd love to know where, around calgary a guy could do that.

[bsnyder]

Yeah I'd love to know where, around calgary a guy could do that.

:wave:Lots of SLEWS around Calgary :lol: I heard you just have to drill small holes in tincans with lids , put in some livers and stuff, sink them and cheque at sunrise.Sounds easy enough :rolleye2:

[Plumber]

If you want to try catching leaches we found a pretty good method.

Take a fairly tight weaved burlap sack. Put in a fish head and a couple rocks to hold the bag on the bottom. Tie a rope around the end of the sack to hold it tightly closed. Tie the other end of the rope off on shore. Fire that sucker out into the water. In a couple of days pull it in, put it into a 5 gallon pail and untie it. Dump out your bait, take out the rocks and fish head and go catch a fish. Clean one up for supper and keep the head and carcass. Use your new fish head for the next round of bait.

Now, who's buying me a beer?

[nicemustang]

I'll buy you a beer when you tell my which lake/slew I can catch leaches around calgary.

[Donavonszoo]

All of them? most bodies of water have leaches in southern Alberta I would think... anything canal fed anyways

[nicemustang]

Yeah you're probably right. Just have to go try it out and see what happens. Live close to bruce lake, I think I saw them in there.