Bill, while cleaning some Perch from my pond, I happened across these. Are these leeches, or the aquatic worms I've read referenced to here?

Not Dr. Perca but those are definitely leeches.

I agree with the leech ID - I've been wondering whether they would serve as a good forage item for some time. I know up North they are hard to beat for YP or WE fishing, and SMB love them, too.

Thanks for the I.D. guys. The only leeches I'm familiar with are the ones used for bait up North. They seem to be flatter than the ones in the pictures.

The ones from the swamp that have the orange strip are the best for fishing we have found. Our water up north is tea stained so that could be the key to why they work so well.

Cheers Don.

Those are cool looking Don. I saw one of those in a pond up in the mountains of northern Maine.

Don, never seen one? How big do they get?

Those are beautiful, considering they are parasites.

I have seen them as big as 7"s swimming and about 3/4" wide. Those get really big and I do wonder if the orange bottom is why the walleye love them so much. They don't nibble these they just nail them.

We have good luck with a burlap bag with a chicken leg in it. Leave it for a week in the swamp area. When you pick it out of the water they cant get out of the burlap fast enough. You just open up the bag and pick them out.

I have seen them with two orange strips down their backs as well not just the one stripe.

Cheers Don.

JamesB - Where were those black leeches? On the fish, in the fish, or on the bottom, or swimming?

Bill, they were in the stomach. And they were all in one fish.

Interesting...I wonder if large leech species could serve as a good forage base? Sounds like leeches can use fish as hosts, but one of their preferred targets are turtles and frogs and mammals.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/freshwater_leech.htm

T.J., I'm beginning to think so. I'm understanding now, why land based worms make such a wonderful bait.
And why Perch are best caught on bottom.

TJ, I have known quite a few gorgeous leeches in my time.

For the record, I've never caught a fish with a leech attached. I have caught some BG with leeches in their mouths, very small ones [under .5"], but the stocking of FHM and crayfish apparently led to leech population control - haven't seen them since.

I wonder how swimming in the pond would be affected by having leeches in there as part of the forage base?

I've swam in many MN and CA waters with native populations of leeches and never had any issues. Perhaps I'm just not appetizing to parasites.

My little pond was loaded with leaches, once crayfish found their way in the leaches disapeared.

We had some leaches in our pond this spring. I think that they came in with the turtles. I have not seen them any longer this year. I think the young perch made short work of them.

I do know if you have perch you will not have leaches. If you do happen to get a leach on you swimming do not pull them off. Splash them with salt or burn them with a lighter. They will let go and not rip a hunk out of you.

Cheers Don.

Leaches can get onto you, I used to get them a lot when I was younger swimming in some questionable water. But hey leaches are easy to remove so I wouldn't worry to much about it can just grab and pull or rumor has it urine works(however I believe this to be just like the jelly fish sting relief hoax...never tried it myself though). It's not like the leach is a brain eating amoeba or a flesh eating bacteria...now those are things that concern me these days.

I've got more leeches than anywhere I have ever seen and I have NEVER found one in a fish's stomach!! I sure wish they would start eating them!!

I had a leach this past summer attach to the worst spot it could find.

I got into the Hot tube, it did not like the hot chloridated water much and let go.