Smallmouth bass love leeches. Some anglers will catch bass on leeches in cooler water temperatures, however, leeches swim better in warmer water and the bass eat them like crazy from late spring through early fall. If water temperatures are above 60 degrees, you should be able to catch some bass with a lively leech.
Best Live Bait Rigs for Leeches
A well placed leech under a bobber or slip bobber is one of the better ways to target largemouth bass that are suspended in the water column.
This rig is a great live bait rig. Most anglers use the Carolina rig when fishing deeper water.
The drop shot rig is an awesome way to fish a lively leech. Fish it shallow, deep, in open water or around cover and you can have a lot of success.
A simple jighead and leech is one of the easiest ways to target largemouth bass when you are fishing away from heavy cover. For example, docks, a weed edge, weed pockets and rocky bottoms are good places to fish a jighead without having to worry about getting hung up.
The split shot rig is a great rig when you just need a little extra weight to get your leech down farther through the water column. Most anglers use this rig when the bass are shallow and it can be super effective.
