Per the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), a good way to tell whether you have a leatherjacket infestation is to place a light-blocking material, like black polythene, on a watered lawn overnight. If leatherjackets are there, the next morning, they’ll typically be found on the lawn surface under the cover.
Article source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/leatherjacket-infestation-signs_uk_6aaa7611e4b05a5eaee2815e