Fishing First Aid : Removing Leeches

Sometimes the best fishing spots require a trek through the jungle...and sometimes you may pick up an unwanted visitor. Here are some fishing stories :

"...one of his bad experience was kena buffalo leech of size of your hand loop around his feet no way to get it out have to go home use fire n knife to cut it out. believe it or not.

Buffalo Leach!! Had close encounter with them in Temburong, Brunei. Unfed yet HUGE!! Was told 15 - 20 would be sufficient to kill you!!
I think you put 2 on me also cukup mati liow..."

So without further ado here are some first aid tips :

Leeches are found in ponds,swamps and stagnant water. They attach themselves to the human body by making a tiny hole in the skin. Forceful removal of leeches may cause injury to the skin and infection.They can be attached to the underside of rocks, vegetation and logs or around ponds and puddles. They are attracted by body warmth and movement, finding their way into socks and jeans, where they latch onto skin and begin sucking.

First Aid for leech bites:

1. Sprinkle some salt, bring a lighted match close to it, or apply turpentine or oil to its body. It will curl up and drop off by itself.

*do not pull or scrape it off the skin

2. Wash the area around the bite to remove the anticoagulant

3. Apply a weak solution of baking soda or ammonia to relieve irritation

4. Apply a dressing until the bleeding stops


How can I try to avoid them?

In leech infested areas always wear

* thick socks
* long trousers
* strong shoes
* rub tea-tree oil/insect repellent onto your skin

Source St John's Ambulance

Camping First Aid

I guess at the end you could use it as a juicy bait!

More Tips from experienced Anglers fr Malaysian Fishing Net :

kenfkyong :

"Heat from Cigarettes are good too. And tobacco for the wound. Pinch some tobacco and just press it down on the wound and the bleeding stops. Not sure how healthy and hygenic it is for the wound but when you are in the jungle with no first aid kit, your box of cigarettes is your best bet; and your smoking buddies your best friends."

v_lsh also added this :

"talking about leaches, there is one remedy on preventing these **%%$$# from getting on you. mix a solution of dettol and water. the ratio is about 50:50. spray on pants and shirts. it works on the little ones but never tested on buffalo leach. becareful not to wipe on the face. wearing rubber boots adds additional save guard to it. (just in case there are places not protected from the leach.)"

D-fisho
"I dont waste cigarrettes, too expensive,so i use the ash to stop the bleeding,works with pacat,dunno about lintah.I also carry Mopiko with me rub it on the leech and it will drop off ASAP!Even kills the small ones and besides you use the oinment to stop bleeding and relieve the itch."

Junglebum
"A few cents' worth from me:

-There are basically two types of leeches: the water leech (lintah), and the landborne one (pacat). I guess we are talking of pacat lah
- Leeches don't like bright material. One tip is to wear something bright above your boots, so they don't climb up your torso. Some outdoor shops overseas sell leech socks with colours like shocking orange or chartreuse, for this purpose.
-Another kampung tip to prevent leeches is to rub lime juice on your legs. Of course the efficacy goes off once you cross a stream or something.
- be careful when you use Baygon; it is powerful. I get bad skin rashes, so I have stopped using it. Personally, I'd prefer to have the leeches bite me than to use poisons on my body.
- Some leeches are more potent than others. In my experience the most terrible leeches are those in Upper Endau, Sungai Sat (Taman Negara) and Sg Tisa (Kapit). Depending on season of course. I once had to extract 50 leeches from one leg, in Endau! But the Sg Sat leeches are champions: the sores persisted for 8 months! "

Wahoo
"Aiyah.. wear bright colored waders la if you don't want these leeches..."

Defisho
"An old jungle kaki gave me this tip;collect old gigarrette butts,tear out the tobacco and soak them in a bucket.Strain the juice and soak a pair of socks [your old football socks will do nicely] overnight.Dry them and wear them on your next trip.The scent will stop any leech from climbing on even if you have to wade thru water the scent won't wash off.Havent tried it myself but am going to try next week when I visit Belum.But be warned, the socks will be permanently stained,so dont use your best pair!"