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mk
member (18)member
  
06/07/2021 06:30PM  
I’m a little embarrassed to ask this question because I have been fishing in the BW for the last 15 years and have caught my share of walleye with a slip bobble, #6 red hook and a leech. I have always hooked the leech through the “sucker” end. I was reading something the other day that stated the “head” end of the leech is opposite the sucker end. Have I been hooking them wrong all these years??!!
mk
 
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06/07/2021 10:00PM  
I've always hooked them through the big sucker, which evidently is the butt sucker!

 
06/07/2021 11:58PM  
I'll throw another variable into the conversation. I cannot remember if TGO told me or if I heard it on KFAN outdoors but someone mentioned hooking a leech right through the middle of the body when suspended below a bobber. This method allows the leech to hang horizontal.

As far as which end is the head I also think it's the small end which means I also have been hooking them wrong when on a jig or trolling but there's a ton of walleyes that didn't seem to care.
 
thebotanyguy
distinguished member(781)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/08/2021 12:03PM  
There are suckers at both ends, but yes, the larger sucker is at the posterior (anal) end.




On the other hand, I doubt that there ever was a fish that thought "Hey, that leech is swimming backwards!"
 
casualbriday
distinguished member (106)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/08/2021 12:11PM  
They use the butt as a foot, so it's easy to let them anchor on your thumbnail so they're under a little bit more control while they're getting hooked. The back end of the body is also a lot meatier, so when you butt-hook them, they last longer. One time I was on a hot bite using spinner rigs on bottom bouncers and it seemed like the more chewed up the leech was, the faster you got another hit.
 
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