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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: leeches
 
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Pinetree
08/27/2018 05:19PM
  
Curious,I know leeches go thru a life cycle and at a certain age they die later in the summer.
Not sure of how old etc.
Just wondering can you get jumbo leeches in the fall?
 
kbm
06/28/2018 07:05PM
  
Two years ago, we brought in leeches. The fishing was crazy good and when our canoe ran out of live bait, we switched to plastics and did just as well. However, we did some major searching for leeches in bulk and ended up making a pit stop on the north end of the Cities to grab some. I was just in Cabela's in Owatonna and they have them for sale by the pound as well, and cheaper than any of the online live bait stores I found. Just wanted to pass that along if you so choose to bring them in.
 
greywolf33
06/28/2018 07:58PM
  
Support local Ely or northshore/Gunflint Baitshops. They deserve your patronage!
 
The Great Outdoors
06/28/2018 10:57PM
  
Most bait shops in northern Minnesota sell leeches by the pound and normally have them later in the season than shops in southern Minnesota.

You will pay a very high price for leeches by the pound online. Why anyone would do that is beyond me.
 
Jackfish
06/29/2018 07:42AM
  
greywolf33: "Support local Ely or northshore/Gunflint Baitshops. They deserve your patronage!"
^^^ What he said. ^^^
 
CityFisher74
06/29/2018 07:49AM
  
greywolf33: "Support local Ely or northshore/Gunflint Baitshops. They deserve your patronage!"


+8,000
 
halvorsonchristopher
06/29/2018 04:15PM
  
Grand Marais Bait shop: $26/lb
Harris MN Bait shop: $35/lb


Always check out the local joints!
 
The Great Outdoors
07/02/2018 03:56AM
  
Leeches will still be available on July 12th and later. Put a pound of leeches per Leech Locker, no problem to survive if you use simple common sense.

Do not drag them behind the canoe while paddling, leave them inside. Dragging them will slow down your canoe and possibly cause one of the containers to open accidentally.

Each dozen crawlers can turn into 2-4 dozen by breaking them into smaller pieces. Our crawlers come packed in bedding, but keep them out of the direct sunlight by placing them under the seat of the canoe while traveling.

 
Zwater
08/22/2018 10:17PM
  
TGO is a great bait shop in Ely. If he doesn't have leeches he will direct you to the next best bait that will catch fish. Just not rapalas:)
 
The Great Outdoors
08/27/2018 07:43PM
  
Maybe a nice medium if caught in mid to late September, BUT no one bothers since the market is gone!!
Some trappers try to feed and hold leeches and get optimum dollar for them this time of year, with $50/lb not being unheard of, and doesn't include shipping.
 
wolfpack21
08/27/2018 04:29PM
  
I got leeches on 8/17 up in Ely. Locally owned bait shops up there usually have them later than the big-box stores in MN or WI, and they are normally better quality. Our leeches and crawlers (1 pound each) lasted 8 days easy. The fish were split. Some mornings crawlers seemed to do better, sometimes the eyes preferred the leeches in the evenings, but overall, from my recent experience, you'd do fine with either right now. I used leeches most of the trip, my buddy primarily used crawlers, and we came out pretty even.
 
The Great Outdoors
08/26/2018 09:31PM
  
We have leeches as of 3 this afternoon!!
 
oth
08/25/2018 04:41PM
  
Zwater: "I go only exclusively to VNO and TGO. Great people! Jim has given me plenty of fishing tips over the years when I come up. "Blue walleye lake" Great guy! "


I second TGO and VNO. If they don't have it then I don't need it. Straight up and fair as you get. Great people. oth
 
The Great Outdoors
08/25/2018 01:10PM
  
Skube's leech sign is back up this morning, but looks as though they are by the dozen.
 
dpreiner21
08/25/2018 01:38PM
  
The Great Outdoors: "dpreiner21: "Zwater: "TGO is a great bait shop in Ely. If he doesn't have leeches he will direct you to the next best bait that will catch fish. Just not rapalas:)"
Don't count on TGO bait shop directing you to the next bait shop. Called there the morning of the 19th and the guy said they were all out. He told me that all the shops up in Ely were out of leeches. This had me scrambling and calling shops all the way up 35 from the cities to find out fisherman's corner in Duluth was the least our of my way (still 40 minute detour).
Long story short... We got up to Ely and a lot of shops still had leeches. Very disappointed."
Hold on there dpreiner21, we sold our last dozen leeches on the 21st of August, and Skube's still had some left by the dozen. They were out about the 23rd.
We had leeches by the dozen on the 19th, the day you claimed to have called.
If I still had them, does it make sense for me to say we have none, and let them sit in the cooler??????
I suspect you called another bait shop by mistake!!!!!
"


First off, I owe you a big apology Jim. I looked through my phone records and saw that I had called Arrowhead bait (formally skubes). I blame it on myself for not using Google correctly to get your number... Meant to call you. Arrowhead outdoors told me nobody in Ely had leeches. I'm sorry and will delete the post above. You have treated me right in the past and I was hesitant to even post anything but this really pushed my buttons. The person I talked to on the phone at skubes flat out lied to me.



 
yogi59weedr
08/25/2018 02:25PM
  
Don't you hate it when that happens
 
The Great Outdoors
08/25/2018 02:32PM
  
Thank you!! :)
Interesting that they said that since we had them that day, and Skube's still had their leech sign out so they may have been playing the old bait and switch (no pun intended)
Their leech sign was gone for two days, and is now back saying they have leeches.
With what you just told me, maybe they have none but put the sign back out to pull customers into their shop??????
 
Zwater
08/25/2018 03:46PM
  
I go only exclusively to VNO and TGO. Great people! Jim has given me plenty of fishing tips over the years when I come up. "Blue walleye lake" Great guy!
 
Pinetree
08/25/2018 08:56PM
  
Jackfish: "greywolf33: "Support local Ely or northshore/Gunflint Baitshops. They deserve your patronage!"
^^^ What he said. ^^^"


Agree with the other 100 agrees.
 
3Ball
07/09/2018 08:22PM
  
I got a half pound of leeches from TGO last week. They were of outstanding quality and health even after several portages and some warmer weather.
 
FatLunker
08/22/2018 06:41AM
  
I'm going to Mudro through Ely on Friday, August 31. Will local leeches still be available for sale?

Thanks
 
dpreiner21
08/24/2018 07:54PM
  
Zwater: "TGO is a great bait shop in Ely. If he doesn't have leeches he will direct you to the next best bait that will catch fish. Just not rapalas:)"


Don't count on TGO bait shop directing you to the next bait shop. Called there the morning of the 19th and the guy said they were all out. He told me that all the shops up in Ely were out of leeches. This had me scrambling and calling shops all the way up 35 from the cities to find out fisherman's corner in Duluth was the least our of my way (still 40 minute detour).


Long story short... We got up to Ely and a lot of shops still had leeches. Very disappointed.
 
PatrickE
06/30/2018 08:18AM
  
We were up a few weeks ago and stopped in at TGO (The Great Outdoors) for our leaches. My crew was sleeping in and I got a chance to hang out with Jim and learn a little about Ely. I can't thank you enough for setting us up and especially for all the advice, both fishing and nonfishing related. Hopefully we can catch up next time! Thanks again.

 
The Great Outdoors
06/30/2018 06:00PM
  
It was a nice conversation, stop in again anytime.
Going to be interesting to see if there is an increase in traffic this Fall (late September/early October) as the new repairs to Highway 169 between Soudan and Bearhead State Park Road has made a mile or two stretch one of the best color viewing points you will find in northern Minnesota.
Unbelievable!!
 
anthonyqh
07/01/2018 06:44PM
  
My two buddies and I will be entering as early as we can on the July 12th. I'm wondering about two things. Will there still be leeches available and what is the best way to store a pound of them? I have a leech locker and might be buying another for the guy who paddles the other boat. Is that going to be enough space? Should I let them float behind the canoe as we paddle to keep them alive? And lastly how long will they live?

And heck, while I'm here, I'm going to buy a bunch of crawlers as well and will need to store them. How many for a 7-day trip? And what to store them in?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Tony
 
The Great Outdoors
08/25/2018 07:56AM
  
dpreiner21: "Zwater: "TGO is a great bait shop in Ely. If he doesn't have leeches he will direct you to the next best bait that will catch fish. Just not rapalas:)"
Don't count on TGO bait shop directing you to the next bait shop. Called there the morning of the 19th and the guy said they were all out. He told me that all the shops up in Ely were out of leeches. This had me scrambling and calling shops all the way up 35 from the cities to find out fisherman's corner in Duluth was the least our of my way (still 40 minute detour).
Long story short... We got up to Ely and a lot of shops still had leeches. Very disappointed."
Hold on there dpreiner21, we sold our last dozen leeches on the 21st of August, and Skube's still had some left by the dozen. They were out about the 23rd.
We had leeches by the dozen on the 19th, the day you claimed to have called.
If I still had them, does it make sense for me to say we have none, and let them sit in the cooler??????
I suspect you called another bait shop by mistake!!!!!

 
Pinetree
08/27/2018 09:42PM
  
The Great Outdoors: "Maybe a nice medium if caught in mid to late September, BUT no one bothers since the market is gone!!
Some trappers try to feed and hold leeches and get optimum dollar for them this time of year, with $50/lb not being unheard of, and doesn't include shipping."


Thanks, that is what I thought.
 
The Great Outdoors
08/26/2018 08:55AM
  
I just got a call from my leech trapper, and he will meet me at an undisclosed location later today! :)
We will have leeches by the dozen tomorrow morning-do not know if they will trap better in the upcoming weeks so they can be sold by the pound at a later time!!!
I'll keep the forum posted.
 
The Great Outdoors
08/22/2018 09:28PM
  
We sold our last leech yesterday morning and cannot find any others, YET!.
BUT if the cooler nights keeps up, there MAY be some hope by the time you come through.
Call the shop Tuesday or Wednesday morning and we will know more.