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Walleyes and leeches: A little history of fishing with this popular blood-sucking bait

After the water temperature tops 50 degrees, leeches become an absolute walleye go-to bait.

Catching walleyes with leeches has been around for decades, yet compared to minnows and crawlers, they’re still a relatively recent bait. Here’s some history behind how leech-fishing tactics started.
Bait leeches are readily available these days across the walleye range. You walk into a bait shop, put down your money, and purchase them by the dozen or in bulk amounts.

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