leeach tank

[Dubious]

does anyone keep a small aquarium leech tank for bait? seems like a crazy idea but they can be hard to find this time of year and relatively easy to trap in open water. would love to see setups or better ideas.

[AlbertanGP]

They just ball up on your hook in the winter. Heck, they ball up on your hook if you fish late enough into Fall.

[Commander B]

It needs a lid.. life lesson.

B

[Sea Hawk]

I caught a bunch of leaches this summer and kept them in a plastic tank in my yard. This fall when i went to empty the tank i found about 300 leaches still alive. I put them in an ice cream pail and put them in our spare fridge. That was in october. Last week i took some in a cooler and tried them ice fishing. When i pulled them out of the container they would ball up but once i put them on the hook and lowered them down, they got very active. They would swim steadily and cause my small hook to bob up and down. I thought this would be deadly for whitefish but all they did was look at the leech as they swam by. Worked real well for walleye.

[Dubious]

Originally Posted by Commander B

It needs a lid.. life lesson.

B

Bahahah please tell us more.

[Dubious]

Originally Posted by Sea Hawk

I caught a bunch of leaches this summer and kept them in a plastic tank in my yard. This fall when i went to empty the tank i found about 300 leaches still alive. I put them in an ice cream pail and put them in our spare fridge. That was in october. Last week i took some in a cooler and tried them ice fishing. When i pulled them out of the container they would ball up but once i put them on the hook and lowered them down, they got very active. They would swim steadily and cause my small hook to bob up and down. I thought this would be deadly for whitefish but all they did was look at the leech as they swam by. Worked real well for walleye.

Am I better off with just something like worms? We have been doing ok at our local walleye hole but we’re hoping to do well.

[Freedom55]

It has been my experience that using leeches in the winter is a little bit like setting up an ice cream stand at an ice derby. Invertebrates burrow into the mud and survive until spring and warmer water temperatures. That is the reason your leech pond must not freeze to the bottom if you expect to harvest bait in May.

Free

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Sea Hawk

I caught a bunch of leaches this summer and kept them in a plastic tank in my yard. This fall when i went to empty the tank i found about 300 leaches still alive. I put them in an ice cream pail and put them in our spare fridge. That was in october. Last week i took some in a cooler and tried them ice fishing. When i pulled them out of the container they would ball up but once i put them on the hook and lowered them down, they got very active. They would swim steadily and cause my small hook to bob up and down. I thought this would be deadly for whitefish but all they did was look at the leech as they swam by. Worked real well for walleye.

No changing of the water? no food? that's absolutely unbelievable. I would have thought they would have not survived that long - that's crazy.

[Sea Hawk]

Originally Posted by EZM

No changing of the water? no food? that's absolutely unbelievable. I would have thought they would have not survived that long - that's crazy.

Just checked
. They all seem to be doing fine.I hope they last until this cold snap ends. I want to try them for perch.