Leech Fishing Trout on the slip float
 

So I always wondered how fishing leeches would work for the trout. Since quite often when I catch them they often have leeches in their stomach or a few in their mouth. Well I had some left over leeches I had picked along the shore and decided to take them out to the pond. It actually was working really well... but I was getting lots of missed strikes and missed a few hook ups off camera. Well this is what happened. So if you have some leeches laying around and heading to the trout pond give them a try. There were a bunch of people fishing and I didn't see any others caught while there. Lots of surface action. Actually as I walked out a guy on the belly boat was getting some action on the fly.

But regardless this leech was getting lots of attention. I probably should have put in to a deeper depth to get into the larger fish. Shoulda coulda woulda... just not enough time and I was getting action just not solid bites. I think they were pulling the leech and missing the hook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSrtlgfLEZo

The places I haunt have been almost devoid of fly fishermen this season (after the first forays and disappointment).

I suspect that there has been a bumper crop of minnows and leeches for them to eat this summer.

The trout seem to have stayed lower in the water but even the guys sinking their bait have not had the same level of success as years past.

I tried suspending minnows and had the bellies chewed out when they did hit.

I have tried floating a dragging flies. I have tried small spoons.

As of late, the go to seems to be worms under a bobber at around 4' or so.

My trout count has been way down this year compared to years past.

I have always figured that using a leech on a drop shot rig for trout could be deadly, I have never tried it though. Probably would work better then putting them on a jig like that, trout are crazy hook shy.

There's a reason I almost always put a leech imitation on the line when fly fishing a trout lake :)

Leech fishing trout on the slip float
 

I've fished live leeches on a drop shot rig and done very well for rainbows in a stocked pond.

We used to put a half of a nightcrawler under a slip float for Brookies and Bows. Works very well and a half is about the same size as a leech.

Yeah probably would have been better off with a tiny plain hook. That's how I used to hook the worm on and I'd thread the worm right on the hook. Worked great.

I'm sure drop shot would kill em!

I was slaying them on Saturday with a Prince Nymph 3ft behind a slip bobber and using a two slow cranks on the reel and pausing for 10 seconds while it would slowly drop through the water column (rinse repeat). Was a boring way to fish but I seemed to be the only person catching that day with a total of 13 fish once I figured out this system.

Using a worm threader, you can hook a worm that travels through the water looking just like a swimming leech. The action seems to trigger fish into biting - even if the worm bait is much larger than the leeches that are native to the waterbody.
We used to use a whole nightcrawler threaded onto a hook, about 12" behind a big Williams Wabler, for big rainbows.