​Leech removal?

[Guest]

A few trips ago coming back up the Wanipigow River towards Wallace Lake in high water. We make a little bitty mistake and dump at the bottom of a rapid trying to get to the take out. We were in the water 15 minutes maybe after floating the canoe to the bank and standing in muck while we emptied the water with coffee cups. So, back in the boat, found another way to the take out, went a few more ports and then called it a day. I'm sitting on the rocks and stripping off wet clothes and get to my socks. I wear socks to keep the leeches at bay usually. So, without looking I just rip my socks off, And, the half dozen leeches that were latched on through my sock. Bloody hell. It took over a year for those wounds to heal completely.

I have not had much problem with leeches, perhaps because when I swim in leechy waters I quickly head out and stay in the deep water instead of standing waist deep on the rocks or sand.

I have gently peeled up the sucker end(s), but my fingernails are usually cut very short, necessitating the dull peanut butter knife blade. I’ve done the rapid multiple flick bit, which works eventually. I have read that leeches don’t like mint, and doused them with peppermint Bronners (to little effect).

Y’alls in leechier areas, any tricks for detaching them?

 

[Mihun09]

On sunny days just expose them to full rays and they tend to shrivel up and drop off on their own trying to get away from the heat.

 

[stripperguy]

A single drop of DEET, but they sometimes regurgitate...
Salt works, as does a lit match or cigarette.

 

[meopilite]

i just pull them off

 

[Guest]

yep to deet

 

[yellowcanoe]

Let em eat. Some years back at a symposium a removal of only half a leech sent a paddler to the ER
I like Mihun s idea. Bake em

 

[meopilite]

One thing that i do to prevent leeches and/or ticks at the landing: Most of the landings i frequent have a few inches to a foot of grass growing. Perfect for ticks. So i wear a pair of rubber boots that are a little less than knee high. These also work well for when putting the canoe in the water. I can walk into about a foot of water without getting wet. So, jump outa the truck, put on rubber boots, unload everything, put canoe in water, jump into canoe, take off boots and replace with sneakers, paddle away. No ticks. No leeches. No problem.

 

[yellowcanoe]

how do you kneel in rubber boots? Or portage?

 

[meopilite]

i dont wear them in the canoe or to portage. i bring sneakers along for in the canoe. just wear them in tall grass or for wading in the water.

 

[red langford]

Does screaming work. I despise the thought of leeches

 

[meopilite]

Does screaming work. I despise the thought of leeches

Believe it or not, but leeches are used medically. They improve blood flow and remove infection from a wound. So in theory, if you cut yourself in the BWCA, and get infected, hunt for some leeches...... Although I'd be sure to bring anti-bacterial ointments instead.

 

[red langford]

I knew about their medical uses. I just squirm at the thought of them getting attached to me. Especially certain "body parts"

 

[redoleary]

I'm a salt guy. I always seem to manage to get a few and the wife brings along a separate shaker just for the leeches.

 

[Guest]

A funny true leach story. When leading my scout troop in Algonquin we cautioned the boys to check for leaches every time they got out of the water. The didn't of course till the first boy got one and they all gathered around in festination and horror while we removed it. After that they were fanatic in checking even asking other boys to check where they couldn't see, even bending over and spreading their butt cheeks!
Turtle

 

[stripperguy]

When returning from Lester Dam (or the remains of it), MDB swamped her kayak over a beaver dam on the outlet of Cheney Pond. As she was floundering in the muck, I noticed her boat bottom was covered in leaches. Not want to alarm her, and with less than a mile back to the car, I said nothing.
When we got back the the launch site, I rolled her boat over to show her how many friendly hitch hikers she had accumulated.

She immediately dropped her pants and other stuff and frantically demanded "You gotta check me! You gotta check me!"
There were no other people around, but that may not have mattered.
BTW, she had no attached friends.
I later had a good chuckle, they're just leaches.

 

[Guest]

Does screaming work.

Apparently not, nor does laughing.

We were on a 2 family trip in the Adirondacks with my bro-in-law, his wife and daughters, on their first ever canoe trip. They were camped in view on a site a couple hundred yards away across a cove. BIL and I were sitting in my camp when we espied his wife and daughters wade out for a swim at their site.

When they came out of the water there was a lot of, well, not screaming, but noisy startlement, followed by prolonged bouts of laughter. BIL and I remarked something like “It’s wonderful to see them having such a good time”

One daughter had exited to discover a leech on her leg. They had zero leech experience, and less clue how to remove it. They were at least good natured about it, but it put an end to their swimming that trip.

 

[Iskweo]

I have used the run of things like salt or deet to shrivel them up but now either just sit in the sun and wait for them to drop off, or if that is not possible, I will scrape them off with my knife. After that it's time for disinfectant and then polysporin, and a bandage for at least the first day.

I like the idea of rubber boots for ticks/leeches at the landings. Hip waders would be good for that.