Leetches, YUK. Some people think these thing are just plain old GROSS. In a way they are, but of all the Insects, Terrestrials and other bait, These are by far the most sought after by trout. The trout have these juicy morsels available to them on a year round basics.
Leetches belong to a group of segmented worms from the class Hirudinea and can reach a lenght of 6 inches, but on average are in the 2-4 inch range. They move in a way like a snake, moving their segmented bodies from side to side, thus causing them to move in the water. They have “Suckers” on both ends of their bodies that they use to attach themselves to their prey, these include Insects, Mollusks, worms, and Crustaceans. There are a few species of leech that are blood suckers, but these are few.
Leeches are light sensitive and because of this are more active in low light situations. They will move around during the day if there is heavy vegetation or other cover, but generally they are far more active during the times between dusk and dawn.
Leeches will come in a large variety of colors. They once again, like many other aquatic animals have the ability to match the color of their surroundings. They can be found in colors ranging from Black to red, Green, Browns and even shades of purple. The most common colors are Red (Maroon) and black.
I have found that the best time to fish these creatures is at Dusk. This is what I call the magic hour, I have had more sucsess 1/2 hour before to 1/2 hour after dusk with leeches than with ALL the other flies I have combined.
Rick Passek
“The FlyFish Fanatic”
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