Heading into BWCA June 16th and our first day will be a long day of paddling and portaging. I am going to bring some leeches for fishing when we eventually arrive at our destination. Anyone have good strategies for packing in leeches and keeping them alive and kickin' on a long hot day? Any advice is much appreciated!

Last year we picked ours up from the bait shop just before heading out to our EP. They put them in a bag with some extra oxygen. I put that bag in a Leech Locker (still in the closed bag just easier to strap and carry) and they were fine when we got to camp . It was about 5 hours to camp with 1 portage for us. If it's hot you can drop the locker in the water for a while to keep them cool. Leeches are pretty tough so doing this I think they'll be alright.

Keep them in the oxygenated bag they come in and keep them shaded as much as you can throughout the day. Yes, you'll have to carry them on the portages, but you'll have great fishing with them once you're in.

Last year I got a BaitKing from Intruder. I kept my leeches in there for a week with multiple long travel days and only had few die throughout the trip. I tied a cord to the top with a carabiner and clipped it to the canoe. On travel days I would periodically toss them overboard to fill the container with fresh water. On portages, you have to devote a whole hand to carrying them I guess but that's the trade off for frequently refreshing the water so easily.

I use a leech locker. I keep them in the plastic bag and put them in the locker with water. At the beginning of each portage I empty the water to save weight, but keep them in plastic so I can put the locker in my pack without getting anything wet. They're still moist, and cool during the portage and I put water back in there at the other side. We double portage so I do this twice. I think that's the best way to transport them without transporting a bunch of water.

All week, I keep them in fresh cool water and never have any dead loss.

Jazzywine, I was thinking about trying that same approach with Minnows this year. I have a bucket and an aerator for travel, then a standard minnow bucket for fishing. Anyone tried this approach to keeping minnows alive? Is it worth the extra fussiness to have live minnows? We take 4 day trips so keeping leeches alive in a leech locker has never been much of a problem. Headed up next week.

quote PikeChase: "Last year we picked ours up from the bait shop just before heading out to our EP. They put them in a bag with some extra oxygen. I put that bag in a Leech Locker (still in the closed bag just easier to strap and carry) and they were fine when we got to camp . It was about 5 hours to camp with 1 portage for us. If it's hot you can drop the locker in the water for a while to keep them cool. Leeches are pretty tough so doing this I think they'll be alright."

Sounds simple enough... So you don't change the water in the bag or anything? Just try to keep them cool? Thanks!

Gatorade bottle. Store it out of the sun and change the water every once in a while. I've never had them not be alive by the end of my trip (from 5-7 days). They're really durable.

Leech King! They work great!

I used a half liter stainless steel water bottle to hold the leeches. They hold up fine with no special treatment but I only do short trips (a couple nights).

Anyone ever sink a minnow bucket during the middle of the day or overnight? I've read this keeps minnows alive a lot better than just hanging them in minnow bucket off shore.

quote fishtales: "Anyone ever sink a minnow bucket during the middle of the day or overnight? I've read this keeps minnows alive a lot better than just hanging them in minnow bucket off shore."

Snappers, mink, and other varmints will destroy the usual floating minnow bucket. Those 2-piece "Magic" Leech Lockers with the "true locking handle", too. Use a Leech King (smaller) or a Bait King (longer).



Have your bait dealer fill the King with an oxy bag and leave it shut during your entry portages. Then, it can be stowed in your pack. If you want to close it up tight some time later for portaging, lay a plastic sheet (like a zip bag) across the opening and screw it shut. Then you can pack it away again with minimal spillage.

I do a lot of travelling, not 2-3 portages then basecamp. I don't trust the plastic bags in a pack, and I'm not going to carry them. I transfer the leeches to a cheap, wide mouth, water bottle (2) to carry them in my packs. On a long day, you have to "refresh" them at times. Once in camp, I transfer them to some home made leech lockers. Simple big soda bottles punched with nail holes and a cord through the lid. Those are what we take fishing. Set it in canoe to travel, toss it in water when stopped. Beener it to a thwart.
Only hassle is transferring the clingy little buggers between bottles. A couple of taps on a rock usually knocks them loose.
There are DNR rules about transferring water from lake to lake.....just sayin'

Bait King is the way to go.

I just airbag them on travel ways. It doesn't sound like there's a better way to do it from the other comments

I do however use a homemade contraption to keep them at camp/overnight. It's one of those liter size stainless steel water bottles with the screw on top that has a plastic loop on top. (You've probably got a million of them like I do from trade shows, giveaways, etc...) I drilled a bunch of tiny holes all over to allow water in. Then just screw on the top, pop a carabiner and rope through the loop on top, and chuck in the lake overnight. You can also do the same while fishing to keep them cool (think flow-troll) As an added safety, I added a seperate wire loop that I threaded throug a hole on the bottom. The carabiner goes through both the wire loop and the plastic loop on the cap. That way if god forbid a snapper or something somehow got through the plastic, I won't lose it.

quote Jazzywine: "Last year I got a BaitKing from Intruder. I kept my leeches in there for a week with multiple long travel days and only had few die throughout the trip. I tied a cord to the top with a carabiner and clipped it to the canoe. On travel days I would periodically toss them overboard to fill the container with fresh water. On portages, you have to devote a whole hand to carrying them I guess but that's the trade off for frequently refreshing the water so easily."

If the day isn't extremely warm, you can dump the water out of the Leech container, carry them over the portage, then immediately refill with water once you hit the other side. They just need to be kept damp and they'll be just fine.
Also, you do not need to tow them while paddling, just refresh the water every so often and place them under the rear seat, where it will be shaded.

Unless I'm solo I basecamp so the first day is really the only day I have to travel with the leeches. I think that the Leech King is awesome... much more durable than other kinds and the screw on lid keeps it shut. I have them put the oxy bag of leeches in the Leech King and the Leech King goes in one of the packs. Around 10 trips doing this and have never had a leech die. They are tough little buggers. I've even purchased them the day before entering the bwca and had them in the pack overnight because I was afraid I'd forget them in the morning and they all still survived.

Even kids love the Leech King :)

On the first day of a trip I usually buy the leeches, (1 Lb) and have them put them in a plastic bag, inside a plastic gallon jug. The gallon jug protects the plastic bag from getting punctured. I tried using the Leech King but the wire mesh poked a hole in the bag. Once at camp I put them in a Leech King Container to keep them alive and fresh. When I go fishing I put what I need in a Leech Keeper to take fishing. Leaving the others in the Leech King Container.

What do I do with the gallon jug once the leeches are out. I put trash in it for the trip and keep it sealed. To carry the leeches over a portage, I put the gallon jug in the dip net along with water bottles and any loose items and carry it across. It works for me!

Bruce

Old nalgene with two lids, one lid has 25 or so small holes drilled into it. When traveling the solid lid screws on and it goes in a pack, when fishing or at camp, screw on the holey lid and and sink. Just remember what nalgene you used next year:)

RGR,

The Nalgene bottle is a great idea. I'm going to use it next week!

Thanks

quote fishtales: "RGR,


The Nalgene bottle is a great idea. I'm going to use it next week!


Thanks"

good deal! I cant take credit for it though, pickd up the idea here a while back

We kept about 2lbs alive for six days last week using this method..

How many nalgene's did it take for 2 lbs? I plan to bring 1 lb, maybe 1.5 for a 4 day trip next week.

quote fishtales: "How many nalgene's did it take for 2 lbs? I plan to bring 1 lb, maybe 1.5 for a 4 day trip next week. "

Just one. It was about a little over half full on leechs, 2lbs was just a guess. I changed the water periodically while traveling and threw out a dead one or two. We still had a bunch left when we left and they were doing fine. we we went wed-mon.

Two pounds of leeches will never fit in one Nalgene bottle, at least the ones I've seen.
Two pounds of leeches in a Bait King is pushing it.
You most likely had 1/2 pound if the bottle was half full.

quote schweady: "

quote fishtales: "Anyone ever sink a minnow bucket during the middle of the day or overnight? I've read this keeps minnows alive a lot better than just hanging them in minnow bucket off shore."

Snappers, mink, and other varmints will destroy the usual floating minnow bucket. Those 2-piece "Magic" Leech Lockers with the "true locking handle", too. Use a Leech King (smaller) or a Bait King (longer).




Have your bait dealer fill the King with an oxy bag and leave it shut during your entry portages. Then, it can be stowed in your pack. If you want to close it up tight some time later for portaging, lay a plastic sheet (like a zip bag) across the opening and screw it shut. Then you can pack it away again with minimal spillage.
"

+1 This is what I do when taking leaches.

quote The Great Outdoors: "Two pounds of leeches will never fit in one Nalgene bottle, at least the ones I've seen.
Two pounds of leeches in a Bait King is pushing it.
You most likely had 1/2 pound if the bottle was half full."

I'll definitely defer to you on this one. Like I said, it was a guess, and very uneducated:) My buddy had trapped the leeches locally and there were a mix of small to large.

brux's idea would also work well. Might need a couple of bags though as they would get chewed up.

I bought a 1500ml nalgene at target this spring that would give you a bit more room.

quote RainGearRight: "Old nalgene with two lids, one lid has 25 or so small holes drilled into it. When traveling the solid lid screws on and it goes in a pack, when fishing or at camp, screw on the holey lid and and sink. Just remember what nalgene you used next year:)"

x2. I've been doing this for many trips. Bought an extra lid back when, drilled holes in it and put both on the bottle. Spin one around to the back and use the one you want. Reverse when wanting solid lid for portaging or other non-spill situations. 1lb fit just fine last yr with extra room.

quote cyclones30: "

quote RainGearRight: "Old nalgene with two lids, one lid has 25 or so small holes drilled into it. When traveling the solid lid screws on and it goes in a pack, when fishing or at camp, screw on the holey lid and and sink. Just remember what nalgene you used next year:)"

x2. I've been doing this for many trips. Bought an extra lid back when, drilled holes in it and put both on the bottle. Spin one around to the back and use the one you want. Reverse when wanting solid lid for portaging or other non-spill situations. 1lb fit just fine last yr with extra room. "

I do the same, but with Jiffy Peanut Butter plastic jars. drill holes in one lid and take a solid lid too. You can get a little wider peanut butter jar than a Nalgene.

Boy this topic has wrecked a lot of nalgene bottles over the years! Seems to come up every year at this time.

quote Gopher02: "Boy this topic has wrecked a lot of nalgene bottles over the years! Seems to come up every year at this time. "

If you don't want to pack something as large as the Leech King, a lot of smaller jars are available ready-made. I got this Scotty Bait Jar at Cabela's for around 5 bucks. Cheaper yet in some of the big box places. Add a carabiner to one of the lid rings for tying on a stringer and you're all set. The same plastic sheet under the lid trick works for transport. If you don't have a sacrificial Nalgene bottle, that is.

quote RainGearRight: "Old nalgene with two lids, one lid has 25 or so small holes drilled into it. When traveling the solid lid screws on and it goes in a pack, when fishing or at camp, screw on the holey lid and and sink. Just remember what nalgene you used next year:)"

+1

I put the nalgene bottle in the middle of my pack and change the water once I get to camp.

I use a 1500 ml Nalgene with two lids. Bought a replacement lid for $3, drilled holes and glued in a piece of screen to avoid loosing any leeches. I also made a koozie out of reflectix for the time that the bottle is out of the water. Kept them nice and cool.

quote RackWrangler: "I use a 1500 ml Nalgene with two lids. Bought a replacement lid for $3, drilled holes and glued in a piece of screen to avoid loosing any leeches. I also made a koozie out of reflectix for the time that the bottle is out of the water. Kept them nice and cool. "

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