Do you like to fish for walleye with leeches? If so, you may want to take the time to create your own leech traps. They are easy and inexpensive to make. Most will take you less than 10 minutes to build. Here’s how to make five of them:
- Soda Bottle Leech Trap
You can create a quick and easy leech trap with just a pair of scissors, a roll of duct tape, a rock and a 2 liter, clear, plastic soda bottle. Start by removing the soda bottle’s cap. Next, cut the top off of the soda bottle just above the label line. Place a piece of chicken liver or stew meat into the bottom of the bottle along with a good size rock. The meat will act as bait and the rock will help to keep the trap from moving too much in the current.
Proceed by inverting the top of the bottle so it looks like a funnel. Then insert your makeshift funnel, tapered end down, into the bottom of the soda bottle. Duct tape the funnel into position. When you are ready to use the leech trap, simply set it in the water on its side. Hopefully the leeches will be enticed by the bait and crawl into the bottle.
- Wood Leech Trap
One of the easiest leech traps to make is a leech board. All you’ll need to make one is an old piece of porous wood and a bottle of fish oil. You can buy the fish oil through a pharmacy or health food store. In most cases a large bottle of fish oil will cost you around $35. In order to make the wood attractive to the leeches you will need to soak it in fish oil.
Some anglers prefer to make a mixture of fish oil and blood. You can get blood for your mixture from draining off packets of meat from your local butcher shop. After the wood has absorbed the oil and blood, place it into the water. The leeches will attach themselves to the wood. Once they do, remove the wood and pick the leeches off of it.
- Coffee Can Leech Trap
You can also make a leech trap out of an old coffee can. To do so you’ll need bait, a hammer, a sharp screw driver and a pair of vise grips. Use the screw driver and hammer to poke holes in the bottom of a coffee can. Continue by placing the bait into the bottom of the can. Finish the leech trap off by squeezing the top of the can shut with a vise grip. Leave just enough room for the leeches to get into the can. Place the baited coffee can into the water and wait for the leeches to arrive.
- Dunk Bag Leech Trap
I have found that a dunk bag also works well as a leech trap. You can typically pick one up through most outdoor outfitters for less than $5. Soak the bag in fish oil, place a piece of bait inside the bag and add a rock for weight so the bag won’t float away. Submerge the bag into the water and wait. The leeches will swim into the bag through the holes. Once the leeches are in the bag pull it out of the water and remove them.
- Jute Pouch Leech Trap
If you don’t want to use a dunk bag, a jute or burlap pouch will also work. You can typically buy a case of jute pouches through craft stores or online for less than $20. That way you can place leech traps in multiple locations. Treat the jute pouch the same way as the dunk bag. Soak it in fish oil and then add the bait as well as a rock.
