Updated: September 15, 2026
How to fish a T-Leech: thread the TTS T-Leech (3.5" soft-plastic leech) onto a Ned-style mushroom head jig at 1/8 to 1/4 oz, then keep it slow — drag across structure, hop with pauses so it stands like a live leech, or shake in place on clear deep water. The flat ribbon body and tapered T tail undulate and quiver on the fall and retrieve. Start light; bump weight only when wind or depth kills bottom contact.
The TTS T-Leech is a soft-plastic leech imitation built for Ned Rig presentations — segmented ribbon body, tapered “T” tail, super-soft salt-impregnated plastic, 3.5" length (Ned-size), 16 colors (customizable combos available), priced at $1.80 on gapen.com. Catalog species: walleye, smallmouth, largemouth, and panfish. Catalog water jobs: Great Lakes reefs, river ledges, deep clear reservoirs. It is a TTS product sold through Gapen Tackle — not a Gapen 1936 heritage pattern.
Social proof (honest): the product page shows 1 review, 5.0 (Martin Tengowski, Park Falls, WI — looks great; has not fished them yet). Do not treat that as a catch report. Buy on specs and how you fish, then leave a water-tested review when you have one.
What Ned head weight should you use with a TTS T-Leech?
Product-page recommendation: Ned-style mushroom head, 1/8 to 1/4 oz. That range is what lets the bait stand up off the bottom like a live leech defending itself.
| Head weight | Start here when… | Goal |
|---|
| 1/8 oz | Calm water, shallower reefs/ledges, clear reservoirs, panfish/smallmouth finesse | Slow fall, max quiver on the drop, natural stand-up |
| 3/16 oz (if you carry it) | Mid depth, light wind, need a touch more contact without jumping to 1/4 | Bridge between finesse and hold |
| 1/4 oz | Wind, deeper breaks, river ledge current, Great Lakes reef when 1/8 will not tick | Hold bottom without turning the Ned into a plow |
Bump rule: If you cannot feel bottom or the bait never stands, go one step heavier before you speed up. Wrong head weight makes people blame the plastic.
Line: light spinning — typically light braid + short fluoro leader or straight light fluoro/mono in the finesse range that matches a 1/8–1/4 oz Ned. Do not overpower a 3.5" soft leech with heavy walleye trolling gear.
How do you put the Ned together?
- Pick the T-Leech color for water clarity and forage mood (use-case table below). Length is fixed at 3.5" — that is the Ned size on the catalog page.
- Choose mushroom-head ounce: start 1/8 oz; bump to 1/4 oz when you lose bottom contact.
- Thread the plastic so the hook exits cleanly through the flat body and the T tail rides free (do not bury the tail kink against the head). Salt-impregnated soft plastic — pin it once cleanly; re-thread if the entry hole tears.
- Check the stand-up: on a hard floor or boat deck, the Ned should sit upright with the leech body angled up. If it lays flat, the head is wrong style (use a true mushroom / Ned head) or the plastic is bunched.
- Fish slow. Most Ned eats come on the pause or the fall — not on a burning retrieve.
How do you fish a T-Leech — drag, hop, or shake?
Three retrieves that match the catalog water language. Pick one and give it a dozen casts before you change ounce or color.
- Drag (Great Lakes reefs / bottom contact): Cast past the reef edge or rock. Keep light contact and drag the Ned so the mushroom head scrapes and the ribbon body undulates. Pause every few feet. When a walleye or smallmouth loads on, it often feels like weed — set when the “weed” swims.
- Hop (river ledges / smallmouth): Cast upstream or along the ledge. Hop a few inches, then kill it. The T-Leech should stand and quiver. Most bites come on the pause while it looks like a live leech holding station.
- Shake (deep clear reservoirs): Drop to bottom or suspend just off it. Keep the bait in the strike zone and shake the rod tip so the T tail quivers without leaving the spot. Clear water finesse — do not hop out of the cone of fish you just marked.
Fall is part of the bait: the catalog calls out undulating / quivering action on the fall and retrieve. Watch the line on the drop. Slack-line ticks and “stops” are often eats.
What colors should you start with?
There are 16 colors on gapen.com, and the product page notes customizable color combos. We are not inventing a secret “official” ranking here — pick by water and forage, then stick with it long enough to learn something.
| Situation | Color direction (use-case) | Why |
|---|
| Clear water / high sun / pressured smallmouth | Natural, pearl/white, watermelon, green-pumpkin families | Match a real leech / subtle profile |
| Stained river / overcast / night-adjacent | Black, blue, purple, red families | Silhouette and contrast |
| Walleye on reefs when fish want flash | Chartreuse, orange, white/silver flake families | Visibility on rock and in wind chop |
| Panfish / mixed bag | Smaller visual load — natural or pearl; keep the same 3.5" Ned if they eat it | Do not downsize the plastic below catalog length; change head weight instead |
| “Nothing is working” | Swap one variable: color family or head ounce or retrieve — not all three | Shop-floor rule so you know what fixed it |
Pack sizes and exact color names live on the TTS T-Leech product page — use the picker there rather than a blog color chart that goes stale.
Where does the T-Leech shine?
| Water | Presentation | Species focus (catalog) |
|---|
| Great Lakes reefs | Drag + pause; 1/8–1/4 oz as wind dictates | Walleye |
| River ledges | Hop + stand-up pause; cast with current awareness | Smallmouth (also walleye on ledges) |
| Deep clear reservoirs | Shake / slow fall; stay light until depth forces 1/4 | Smallmouth, largemouth, pressured fish |
| Panfish edges | Same Ned; shorter hops; watch for soft lifts | Panfish |
That is the catalog job list — reefs, river ledges, clear reservoirs — not “every lake in America.”
When should you not use a T-Leech?
- Heavy current plow jobs where you need a bottom walker and long dropback (that is a Bait-Walker walleye current problem, not a Ned leech problem).
- Thick floating weed mats where any mushroom head only collects salad — move or go true weedless.
- Open-water chase when fish want a moving baitfish profile (swimbait / faster jig) more than a standing leech.
- Wrong tool pride: staying on 1/8 oz in a wind-blown reef because “Ned is always light” is how you never touch rock.
- Expecting the one looks-only review to prove bites — it does not. Fish it, then review it.
If the job is not “finesse soft leech that stands up on a Ned,” leave it in the box.
T-Leech vs common alternatives
| Tool | Strength | Weakness | Pick it when… |
|---|
| TTS T-Leech on Ned (1/8–1/4) | 3.5" leech profile; quiver on fall; stand-up like live leech; salted soft plastic | Needs a proper mushroom head; not a current plow | Reefs, ledges, clear reservoirs, pressured eyes/smallies |
| Live leech on jig/rig | Ultimate scent and realism | Handling, keep-alive, regs, mess | When live bait is legal and you want max natural |
| Gapen Ugly Bug | Walks rock; size ladder; stand-up wedge | Different forage (craw/hellgrammite), not a soft leech Ned | Rocky rivers / rip-rap where wedge walk matters (size chart) |
| Bait-Walker + bait | Sustained bottom contact in current | Different job than a cast Ned | River/reservoir walleye drift with dropback (Article 281) |
Specs at a glance
| Spec | Detail (live product page / catalog, Sep 2026) |
|---|
| Product | TTS T-Leech soft plastic |
| Brand | TTS (Tactical Tackle Systems) — sold on gapen.com |
| Price | $1.80 |
| Length | 3.5" (Ned size) |
| Body | Flat ribbon-like, segmented; tapered T tail |
| Plastic | Super-soft, salt-impregnated |
| Rig | Ned-style mushroom head, 1/8–1/4 oz recommended |
| Colors | 16 on gapen.com; customizable combos |
| Species | Walleye, smallmouth, largemouth, panfish |
| Uses | Great Lakes reefs, river ledges, deep clear reservoirs |
| Reviews | 1 review, 5.0 — looks only; not fished yet |
| Heritage | Do not claim Gapen 1936 heritage for TTS plastics |
Shop the T-Leech
Buy the TTS T-Leech, pair it with a Ned mushroom head in 1/8–1/4 oz, and fish drag / hop / shake until the pause gets bit.
Primary CTA: Shop TTS T-Leech — $1.80
Related: TTS Lures category · Ugly Bug size chart (Art. 282) · Bait-Walker walleye how-to (Art. 281)
— Gapen Tackle Co. carries TTS soft plastics from the shop in State Center, Iowa. T-Leech = TTS product. Gapen heritage patterns (Ugly Bug, Muddler, Bait-Walker) are a separate story.
FAQ
Q: How do you fish a T-Leech?
A: Rig the 3.5" TTS T-Leech on a Ned mushroom head (1/8–1/4 oz) and fish it slow: drag on reefs, hop-and-pause on river ledges, shake in clear reservoirs. Watch the fall — the T tail quivers on the drop.
Q: What jig head for a TTS T-Leech?
A: A Ned-style mushroom head. Catalog recommendation is 1/8 to 1/4 oz so the bait stands up like a live leech.
Q: How long is the T-Leech?
A: 3.5 inches — listed as perfect Ned size on the product page.
Q: What fish is the T-Leech for?
A: Catalog species: walleye, smallmouth, largemouth, and panfish.
Q: How much does a TTS T-Leech cost?
A: $1.80 on gapen.com as of September 2026 (verify on paste day).
Q: How many colors does the T-Leech come in?
A: 16 colors on gapen.com, with customizable color combos available. Pick by water clarity and forage; use the live product picker for names and packs.
Q: Is the T-Leech the same as a Gapen Ugly Bug?
A: No. T-Leech is a TTS soft-plastic leech for Ned rigs. The Ugly Bug is Gapen’s stand-up wedge jig (heritage pattern). Different tools — see the Ugly Bug size chart if you need rock-walking ounces.
Q: Are there many reviews yet?
A: One review (5.0) as of the live product-page check — the reviewer said it looks great and had not fished it yet. Treat reviews as thin until more water reports land; buy on specs and technique.