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Posts: 572
| Ok....what's the best way to keep those flies away?
Is it best to wear dark or light socks? I think no socks or white is best. I may be wrong.
Avon skin-so-soft works for a while. I saw where a resort recommended Vick's vapor rub.
I added it to my list and plan to try it this year.
Fabric softner sheets to keep flies away is new to me.
Actually, I think flies are more active before a change in weather and is a good time to be fishing. However, I really don't enjoy their company of biting me. So, what's the best method to keep flies from biting?
Muskie Bob |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | I'd love to find something foolproof too. No netting, sheesh it can be hot wearing almost nothing in Michigans humidity. Don't forget your bar of soap to wash your hands before touching any of your fishing equipment. I carry a no-scent bar designed for deer hunting. |
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Posts: 94
Location: Perham, MN | I guess I havnt tried it but i heard somewhere that a dab of vanilla extract behind your ears helps. |
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Posts: 32954
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I think that biting flies read carbon dioxide to track you, but I'm not certain. One thing for sure; the biting flies react to pike slime, they are all over it. I use insect repellant, in moderation. |
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| i stink so bad when im on the water, even the flies won't touch me!
deep woods off has been doing the trick.....be careful around the equipment though, it can leave marks.
nothing like the taste of 20% deet in 90 degree heat! |
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| the ones i really hate are the small black flies that sit in the bottom of the boat and come up to get your ankles and feet once you stop moving.
the best solution i've found is a pair of summer-weight pants (Columbia, Gander Mtn, etc.).
i'll take the slight extra heat to keep the flies off of me.
over the 4th of July i got bit by a deer fly on the bottom of my foot while unhooking a fish...AAARRRRGGH. |
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Posts: 793
Location: Ames, Iowa | There is a product that is used for horses to keep the flies off of them. A family we know up at the lake sprays this onto the floor of their boat and flies never bother them. I'll try to find the name of this stuff unless someone already knows of it.
Don |
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Posts: 793
Location: Ames, Iowa | Two products- one called Buss Off, and another called Gardstar. Both are Permethrin solutions (very strong insecticide). Gardstar is a 40% solution. It's sold in a 4oz. bottle, and the mix rate is 45mL/gallon for applying to a site (your boat) for temporary relief control of all of the flies we are talking about. It works in a low pressure spray bottle and is effective for a year after being mixed with water. I suppose you might find something like this at farm and home store like FleetFarm. This is not stuff you want getting into your favorite lake. Even though it seems insect repellants don't affect deer flies, I'd rather put something that is less strong in my boat.
Don |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | I am with Sworral, they find you just like mosqitos do....I use the deet and they leave me alone. I am talking about the small biting flies. These flies own Canada. |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | I used Cutter Advanced while at the Goon last summer. I was pretty happy w/ it's effectiveness.
I get a headache from DEET products, and whereas they are effective, I find the bug bite less annoying than the haedache. The Cutter product uses Picardin as it's effective ingredient - it's odorless (to humans) and seems to work just as good for me. It's downfall is just like any other topical substance - sweating washes it away, so frequent application is often necessary. It comes in a pump spray bottle so hand washing isn't required as much. I usually only use it on my legs anyway.
S. |
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Posts: 723
| Seriously, has anyone tried sunscreen? I know no one really puts the stuff on there ankles or feet for that matter, but one year they were so bad, it didnt seem to matter how much OFF we put on, till I put some sunscreen on, holy $#@!, they would still buzz you, but, they wont bite anymore, if you can get past them landing on you, they wont bite, try it, you may be amazed! |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Dryer sheets in your shoes and sticking out of the hatches in your boat. I thought it was bogus until I tried it in Canada last year. It kept the flys away and the boat smelled spring fresh. |
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Posts: 327
| Just go reeeeaaalllyyy fast !!!!!
Makes fishing a little rough , but it works !!! |
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Posts: 203
| I heard if you take lard and smear it on your skin , nothing touches you - not even your wife..or was it lemon juice? off skintastic works if your not into food on your skin. |
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Posts: 82
| wear green with a red hat, they think you are a giant frog
seriously, medicated baby powder, this is also a plus to have in the boat for those who get really excited when you catch fish and have partners who won't let you out of the boat when you gotta go, helps cover the odor.. |
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Posts: 3915
| Treats' idea is new to me, and so far he's offered an idea that he claims to work better than any other I've heard. He's not the best looking guy around but he's a pretty fart smeller. Um, I mean, smart feller. Anyway, I always pay attention.
I keep two fly swatters in the boat all the time. One single determined fly will bite you over and over and over and good luck getting him/her with just your hand. But with a swatter you can nail it. I use Cutter pads, those deals like baby wipes, so I don't hit my rigs with bug stuff. I wash my hands with gritty toothpaste before I touch my gear. Accidently spray your fish finder with bug spray and you'll be sorry. But if bugs are really bad....
Now, bug-wise, try northern LOTW when the skeeters are out. We had to wear rainsuits, boots, playtex gloves and head nets during the killer two hour sunset bug-out. Sounded like a distant train, in every direction, when those skeeters came up. You could slowly close you hand in front of your face and open it with 20 dead skeeters. Like you kicked a bee hive. I talked to a guy who was driven to an island due to weather, he said he spent most of the night in the water with his nose sticking out only when he had to. You can't imagine it unless you've been there. (Though reading "Northwest Passage" helps. What a cool book.)
Anyway, my contribution to this thread is...get a couple fly swatters. |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | I just may take all this stuff with me to Eagle at the end of August. You guys are starting to worry me. Ranger's story especially. I really get some lumps from mosquitos, and they ITCH. I'm going to have clothes, bug spray, dryer sheets, vicks, everything. I might get one of those little plastic canoe things for the top of the van and fill it with bug deterrents.
Kevin
T Minus 39 days and counting. |
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Posts: 207
Location: Mpls, MN | What Treats said works. Same trip with him, not sure who started hat weekend it but worked great. The ankle biters buggered off. For $2 for 100 sheets and it worked. Yah and things smell so fresh. Covers up the farts too! |
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Posts: 3915
| Hopeful,
I'll tell you true, if you are not prepared in an area where the skeeters are like I experienced, you'll only want to get the hell away and safe. I mean, you consider "safety" as an issue, when the bugs are so bad as where I was. Forget about fishing. #*#*, we used Yard Guard to blast our resort rooms just to be able to sleep.
Did you ever see that Borargt/Humphry movie, "African Queen"? Remember the part with the skeeters???
Like that, my friend. |
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| While night fishing Lake Athabasca about 10 years ago, my guide taught me a trick. Now this may sound odd but it worked. We took off our clothes because it seems that the material traps your body oder and that attracks the insects. Then he proceded to devide a large clove of garlic and thread a piece of fishing line through each smaller clove, six pieces each. You tied one around your neck and then each wrist and anchles. As strange as this may look we never got an insect bite. The only bites we got were 25 + pound pike and 30 + pound lakers. When ever I have a chance, I do the same on Minnetonka, well into the night. I would be more than pleased to have one of you guys fish with me sometime.
Jack |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | Ranger, I'm picturing the arctic tundra or Siberia around caribou herds. I've seen TV shows where they look like smoke hovering around the animals.
I will be as prepared as a person can be, that is a certainty. I doubt I could be as stoic as Lewis and Clark. In their journals they say things like "the mosquitos were a bit bothersome today".
Jack, are you sure you weren't keeping away vampires? Was the guide's name, Van Helsing?
Kevin
T-Minus 38 days and counting.
Edited by MuskyHopeful 7/18/2006 11:36 PM
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Posts: 3915
| Hopeful,
The deal is, be ready to have your body totally covered, head to foot, and for sure don't forget the playtex gloves. Early on, before I knew the deal, I sprayed my hands with 100% deet and quickly looked down to find the buggers totally ringed around my wedding ring. Both sides. They were sucking underneath, standing on the ring. My ring was grey with bugs, no gold visible. Within 15 minutes they were biting me all over my hands. Then I put on the rubber gloves.
Jack Dude - man, that's a hard one to believe. 10 minutes where I was, naked, well, sheet, I wouldn't thake the chance to find out if that worked or not. 'Cause if it didn't, I would have been one big huge welt inside 3 minutes. |
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Posts: 3915
| Last comment...
again, the skeeters coming up at dusk sounded like a train in the distance, in all directions. That's how many there were. |
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Edited by Sponge 8/23/2006 9:29 AM
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| OK...I didn't read the WHOLE post, just turnin' the comp off.
BUT, this weekend, in 98 degree temps I was ready to committ Hare Kare because of the biting flies. No wind....it sucked. I remember a friend, Art Peters, telling me that WD40 will stop them dead in their tracks. It doesn't eat the skin off of your leg either. And trust me, IT WORKED!!!
Thanks Artie!!
Donnie  |
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Posts: 167
Location: Girard Pa. | Your welcome Donnie,really guys this works great.we dicovered this trolling walleyes on lake erie,where those flies come from when your 15 miles offshore I don't know ,but we werte getting eaten alive and were trying anything in the boat short of motor oil,sprayed on the WD and like magic they would not land on you. doesn't work for skeeters but the flies hate it ARTIE |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | The best method to fish fly free is to do most of your fishing after October 1st! |
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Posts: 127
Location: NW burbs of Chicago | First off, Andrew, if you're listening, we're NEVER fishing wherever Ranger is talking about. A few weeks ago, we fished Lake Delavan and were coming off the water after dark. One beam of light from the large flashlight illuminated more bugs than I've ever even know there were in the world, and that was enough disgusting for me.
And I've been put in charge of dryer sheets for the Canada trip, so I'll let you know how that works when we get back, Kevin.
Crash McG |
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Posts: 2378
| I DESPISE the smell of bug spray so I usually just deal with it as long as I can.
At the end of the ON opener weekend my ankles looked like they had been gnawed on by a small forest creature. Those flies are vicious!
Dryer sheets sound like the ticket if they actually work. |
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Posts: 8857
| Ok I'm grossin ALL y'all out here
know what them flies actually are doing?
Them flies are eatin 'yer ankles. They don't like the blood, so they just sort of scoop it out of the way and keep on chompin. Their teeth are so sharp you don't even feel it at first...
Them's the same flies that eat animal poop, and I don't think they wash their faces in between
Haw haw, happy fishin boys |
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Posts: 724
Location: Southern W.Va. | I really only fish with Mikie so with him in the boat, they don't bother me .
Mauser  |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | keeping my dog in the boat usually works. it keeps them away from me and they go for her, lol. she
has fun chasing them around. |
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| Chew on matches..............the sulfur gets in your bloodstream and bleeds out in your sweat.
That's what they do in the military. |
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Posts: 350
Location: WESTERN WI | I second he above method with chewing on matches, works very well. Just chew a couple of matches every houple of hours and let the sulfur do the rest. The best matches I have foond are those that come in a small book. The wooden stick matches are a little tough. |
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best method to keep flies away