Anybody ever try preserving dead/dying leeches before??
They’re hard to come by later in the year and I have a solid pound and a half of them that are slowing giving up the ghost.
A quick search showed storing them in Vodka works well, but that seems like a waste (of Vodka) lol
I have salt and Borax, tossed a dozen in a mix of the two to see what happens?
Mostly thinking about using them for pannies because I’m using cranks most of the time anyway
My parents have tried nursing leeches for weeks in the fall after they weren’t available anymore. It worked for a while but eventually they will die. They kept them cold and changed the water daily. If you can avoid using tap water and use lake water that would help.
Agree with above keep an eye out. Kind of like crawlers need to keep the dead ones out but I have gone 3-4 weeks with them. I usually put a rock from shoreline with some algae on it not sure if it works just feel like I am feeding them a bit.lol
If you mean preserving them when there dead or before they are about to die.? I have never done that. But i can tell you this because i have done this many times. Buy them when there in there prime time not late in the year.!! Then keep them cold cold. 31 to 34 degrees an they will last that way for a long long time. DO NOT let them warm up for a extend length of time. If you use them fishing for a day or 2 an you still have some that are alive put them back in the ice cold water where you are storing the others.. Works for me. .. rrr
I would agree with River Rat Randy, we buy leeches in the Spring and they last all summer in the fridge. Change the water once in a while or they do start to stink.
When I use to store leeches I fed them once a week with liver. I kept them in the fridge and changed the water (just enough to cover them) once a week. That day I would put in a little liver then change the water after a few hours. I cut up the liver and froze it in layers/pieces with clear wrap in between. Just peel off a chunk at a time.
If you mean preserving them when there dead or before they are about to die.? I have never done that. But i can tell you this because i have done this many times. Buy them when there in there prime time not late in the year.!! Then keep them cold cold. 31 to 34 degrees an they will last that way for a long long time. DO NOT let them warm up for a extend length of time. If you use them fishing for a day or 2 an you still have some that are alive put them back in the ice cold water where you are storing the others.. Works for me. .. rrr
…………PS. I like to keep the water just cold enough in my leech bait frig. that there will be thin layer of ice. When you keep them that cold they will go completely dormant. So you will not have to feed them. If keep them in cool water an not ice cold feeding them with liver sounds like a good way to go. . . . rrr
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