Leeches - when do they disappear?

[Tom7227]

Sometime soon if memory serves there are no more leeches available. I don't remember exactly when this happens. In the past I've been able to keep some alive in the fridge for quite a while.

So when do the stop be available, and here's the kicker - do fish continue to bite on them even after the natural supply has dried up?

[Dock Boy]

Bait guy told me today no more leeches, so as of now they will be tough to find in the northern part of Minnesota. It's more of crawler bit anyway and will soon be strictly minnows.

[hhguide]

it all has to do with water temp I think. With leeches the colder the water is the cold you have to keep them. Becuase if you have them in warm water and put them into a cold lake in fall they are just going to curl up in a ball in my opionin. I dont hear of many guys using them in the water more so crawlers and minnows

[eyepatrol]

This is where some Gulp! leeches might come in handy.

[jhanks50]

I have seen signs at bait shops in the Mankato area saying they are out of leeches for the season....

[hhguide]

I know alot of them around alex dont have them either.

[Tom7227]

This is where some Gulp! leeches might come in handy.

Except maybe the fish know that the leeches are gone for the season and that the Gulp guys are fake!!!!!!!

[BigWadeS]

Originally Posted By: eyepatrol

This is where some Gulp! leeches might come in handy.

Except maybe the fish know that the leeches are gone for the season and that the Gulp guys are fake!!!!!!!

but shhhhhhhh.....don't tell them and don't say it so loud

[SledNeck]

no problem getting leeches here

[fishinJohn]

I asked my bait dealer and he said once you hit August they become hard to find and keep alive. He said if you find some don't stock up and think they will last.

[fishinmajishin]

Originally Posted By: Tom7227

Originally Posted By: eyepatrol

This is where some Gulp! leeches might come in handy.

Except maybe the fish know that the leeches are gone for the season and that the Gulp guys are fake!!!!!!!

but shhhhhhhh.....don't tell them and don't say it so loud

too late the words out walleyes are wise to it.

[Dave B]

Fish will bite on leeches year round. They might curl up at 1st, but after some time in the water, they are fine. We have used them down to 40 degrees with good success.

[Shack]

What I have run into this time of year is a Jumbo is not a spring time jumbo, but can find leech's into the fall up by Mille Lacs. You will be paying for them though.

[walleyecaber]

I have no proublem getting leechs here only because when i do buy them i buy enough to last all year.I keep them in a big cooler with a air pump running all the time and once maybe every month change out the water keeping it as cool as possible throw a little raw burger in them they last for a long time.

[PerchJrkr]

At some point in the middle of august or early september they just die. I worked at a resort a few years back and all the leeches we had in the fridge there just died within about a week time span. I talked to the dealer and he said yep, its just that time of year. He did say that the leeches he traps very early, like right after ice out do seem to live longer, but he usually kept those and was selling them wholesale to bait dealers from down south.. black gold

[Ed Carlson]

About the time leech's get sparse, it's time to switch to minnows again anyhow. Fallow the food cycles into fall, crawlers, fatheads, redtails, creek chubbs.

Quality leech's are preaty sparse now. We are done handling them for the season, too hard to find and in tough shape already for the most part.

[chberry]

I still have leeches in my fridge that I bought for opener...haven't been out fishing as much, so they are lasting longer than normal. I've actually tried leechs as bait under the ice....they balled up so tight that they just look like a black ball on your hook on an underwater camera.

[Jordyn Kaufer]

Well,

all of the "jumbo" leeches are the mid season TINY ones.

Ya just focus on worm pickin on the golf courses after a nice thunderstorm or after the sprinklers go off..

i know that because i live on a golf course and in early june once my dad and i picked 36 DOZEN in 30 MINUTES after a huge T-storm!

so everyone-dont buy your crawlers, save your money and have some fun.!

YFG

[The_Lee]

I recently bought a package of these Gulp Alive leeches (3"), how well do they work? I keep forgetting them everytime I go out.

[Jordyn Kaufer]

i think they're only good for bass and not so much any other species

[uwecsteeple]

I recently bought a package of these Gulp Alive leeches (3"), how well do they work? I keep forgetting them everytime I go out.

They have worked O.K. for me, I like the 5" leeches much better. The 3" ones seem to be much stiffer than the longer ones for some reason. I have done real well on sunnies by slicing the 3" leech into slivers and putting them on an ice fishing jig.

[tednugefan]

not true YFG. ive done good for walleye on the gulp leaches. its just a matter of using what the fish want.

[Jordyn Kaufer]

With my experiences with the 3" leeches have not produced any walleye for me.

But the 5" inch ones have gotten me 3 or 4 eye's and thats about it..