Leeches are a favorite bait on Mille Lacs Lake

Leeches have been a popular bait for fishing walleye on Lake Mille Lacs for ages.  Here are some Leech Facts:

• Leeches are hermaphrodites - both male and female - and can produce 80 leeches.
• The DNR estimates that $4 to $5 million worth of leeches are sold each year in Minnesota.
• The bait leech called the ribbon leech is a scavenger and has no teeth for sucking blood.  Walleye, smallmouth bass and crappie prefer the ribbon leech over other leeches.  These leeches prefer the cool climate of Minnesota.
• Every Minnesota fisher person knows that our gamefish are picky eaters, but there are few things a walleye likes better than a fat leech swimming on the end of a hook.
• Leeches used around here are captured mainly from ponds.  By mid-summer it's hard to find big, juicy ones that walleyes love the best.
• Leeches have medicinal purposes too and have been used for centuries.  Today, doctors use them in surgeries to restore blood circulation to grafted tissue to reattach fingers and toes.  The leech has proved to be indispensable in maintaining blood flow during long surgeries.