Trapping Leeches for Fishing

If you are looking to use natural bait for fishing, you may want to consider leeches. Used throughout history for medicinal purposes, leeches make excellent fishing bait. They are also relatively easy and inexpensive to catch. They can be found in bodies of water throughout the United States. Keeping the leeches alive after they are caught is relatively easy so you can store them for the next catfish or walleye season.

  1. Catching Leeches

    • Look for leeches in local lakes, streams or creeks. Leeches tend to congregate in the weedy, marshy areas. One of the best accessories to use for catching leeches is an old coffee can. You will also need something to attract the leeches, such as fish heads. Using small rocks to weight down the can, add the fish heads and then close the top of the can by pushing the rims together, leaving a narrow slit for the leeches to wriggle through. Leave the can overnight and collect it before sunrise. Open the can and let it sit for a few hours. This will allow some leeches to escape; the leeches that remain are the ones that you want to use as bait. The others are typically horse leeches, which are not good bait leeches anyway.

    Best Leeches for Fishing

    • There are many different varieties of leeches, and not all of them are good for bait. The most popular leech for fishing is the ribbon leech. It has a firm body and can vary in color from black to light brown. Medicinal leeches -- the kind referred to as bloodsuckers -- are used as catfish bait in the United Kingdom. The tiger leech is another option for bait. There is a species of leech known as the horse leech which prefers to feed on the skin and tissue of live animals. This species tends to populate in the same areas as game fish, but the fish avoid these types of leeches, so therefore they do not make good bait.

    Storing Leeches

    • Leeches are low maintenance and do not require very much food. If you will be using the leeches within a short period of time, you can store then in a water-filled container without food. Be careful to not use chlorinated water for storing the leeches and keep them away from heat and direct sunlight. If you need to store them for a longer period of time, such as for a season, then you will need to provide them with a place to clean themselves. Although they require little food or oxygen, their bodies produce slime which they remove by tunneling into sand on the bottom of a creek or lake bed. If held in standing water, they will develop waste buildup and a slimy outer coat. A device known as a Leech Tamer can be used for storage. It is made from a mesh fabric which allows the leech to clean itself by rubbing against the material.

    Fishing with Leeches

    • When fishing with leeches, place the hook in the tail. There is a sucker at each end of a leech but the tail end is the larger end. Leeches actually move more than typical worm bait which makes them more attractive to fish. It is best to allow them to swim naturally and not try to fish them too fast. The leech population naturally declines during the summer months because of their life cycle, so if you have a good supply then you will reap good rewards if fishing during the summer.