- 1). Obtain several printing plates from a local newspaper or a print shop. These are generally discarded materials because they can only be used once. They are about the size of one single newspaper page. There may be some residue on each plate.
- 2). Clean the plates with hot water and mild soap on both sides. Rinse the plates well to remove soap.
- 3). Place a piece of beef or chicken liver to the left of the center of the plate. Use bait with very little blood on it or you'll catch will be the blood leeches, that shouldn't be used for fishing. You're after the ribbon leeches.
Use the side of the plate where the edges curl upwards. Set the ruler as a guide in the exact center of the plate and fold the right edge over to the left edge and press downward. This will crush the liver inside and help keep the bait where it needs to be. - 4). Remove the ruler and set down in the center of the plate and fold the plate over again. Repeat this step to make one more fold.
- 5). Stretch two heavy-duty rubber bands on each side of the plate to keep the folds in place. Leeches will enter the trap looking for the bait and will cling to it and feed for several hours.
- 6). Insert one end of a paracord through the trap folds, pull it through and tie a knot in the cord. A leech trap rope should be long enough so that it rests on the bottom of the pond or lake where you'll be trapping.
- 7). Wait until dusk and toss one to three traps into the pond. Return to the traps early the next morning and retrieve them. Put on gloves before handling the trap as the trap will have a very ripe odor that doesn't wash off easily. Fill a small bucket with pond water and shake the traps into the bucket.
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