Fishing Forum

So during ice fishing season, every Brook trout I landed had leeches attached to its sides and belly. Numerous fish had so many you couldn't even count them. As soon as the cold air hit them they fell right off and froze. But one day I was out fishing when it was close to the freezing mark, pulled the biggest Brookie I caught out all winter and it was just covered in leeches. They all fell off, stood straight up in the air and were waving their little suction cups at me while swinging back and forth to and fro. Well a cold wind came up and froze them all in the standing position, I counted and came up with 27 leeches.

Please be patient, I'm getting to a point. Are they still safe to eat? I'm assuming that leeches are one of the main things they feed on in the lake. Does that effect the fish from the outside in any way?
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Totally safe to eat. Mini leech patterns one of my favorites in Henry's!
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Are you talking about safe to eat leeches or the fish??
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Those brookies must nose right in to that mud to get those things all over them.
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Here is what those fish eat:

Oh and those leech are over an inch long.

As far as eating the fish, no problem. You could eat the Leech if you wanted.
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That's an awesome picture. I bet that's one you don't show at the dinner table.
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aw, no. That is a small turkey baster down the throat, and you could feel the leeches being sucked up. Kinda cool actually...LOL But more to a fly tier.[cool]
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Where were you when I was a young innocent young man looking for an outdoors girl? I've got a buddy that loves fishing the Green down in Utah and swears he is one day going to find the woman of his dreams in a pair of waders with fly rod in tow and the perfect form in her cast!
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Tell him "good luck with that". Joni's the last one of that breed, and she's done been claimed. Those glamour shots of gals in waders are nothing but pranks. Your buddy needs to face it, there's none left![]
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