Black Flies

[troutbert]

It must be spring because the black flies are out. Be ready for them if you are heading out anytime soon. Deep Woods Off works, but if anyone has any non-DEET remedies that ACTUALLY work rather than CLAIM they work, please share.

Yes I know about the cigars, but the health effects are probably worse than the DEET. Not sure which smells worse....

 

[JackM]

Did you ever try those sub-sonic repellants? They put out a high frequency noise that is supposed to keep flying insects away. I always wondered if they worked or are just a gimmick.

 

[jayL]

Ugh. Whatever you do. don't ever shave immediately before leaving for fishing. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking.

 

[RLeeP]

I knew a guy who came out to fish with me and brought along a jar of Vick's Vap-O-Rub which he said he had heard was an effective insect repellent.

As I recall, it didn't keep the bugs away but his breathing was remarkably clear....


A number of years ago, one of the companies that make FF accessories like Loon or somebody, had a non-deet repellent that had all this stuff in it like essence of thrice-pressed lemon grass and 23 other herbs and whatnot in it. It actually worked to a modest degree, but not as well as DEET.

I haven't seen that stuff in a while now

I can't really use DEET in some of the places I need it most, in particular around my ears. It's eats the plastic cases on hearing aids and at $2000 a pop, I can't have that. So, I go to Wally World and buy a 2 dollar headnet every spring. It lasts the 8 weeks or so that the bugs are really an issue around here and it doesn't melt my hearing aids.

I wish I had started doing this 25 years ago.

 

[troutbert]

JackM wrote:
Did you ever try those sub-sonic repellants? They put out a high frequency noise that is supposed to keep flying insects away. I always wondered if they worked or are just a gimmick.

I haven't tried sub-sonic repellants and didn't know about them. I have tried high-volume, high-frequency cursing, though. That doesn't work.

 

[RLeeP]

Here are a couple of DEET alternatives tested and verifed as effective by the Feds, CDC in specific.

Cutter produces a product with the Picaridin and The Repel brand line of repellents includes one based on the oil of lemon ecalayptus chemical.


http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050428.htm

 

[afishinado]

Nothing I've tried works as well as DEET. I use OFF Skintastic with SPF 30 sunblock. I works okay as a bug repellent.

Don't rub DEET on you hands and handle you $60 fly line or anything plastic....been there done that.

 

[Chaz]

Over the weekend I used spray on Off of some kind and it worked for a whole day, I have some Off sun screen that I also use when out in the bright sun. That works well, Avon has a bunch of products that use Skin so Soft and that works for a while but isn't water proof, that is imrtant to me because I was sweating pretty bad by the time I started fishing after a steep climb down to a stream of about 2 miles.

 

[BigBronco]

Has anyone used a "Buzz Off" shirt? I have one in my closet, but I have yet to wear it.

 

[MKern]

I have a hat that's a LLBean knockoff, which has insect repelant in the material. I'll try it out and get back....

 

[Festus]

Shannon BugTamer jacket with the hood works great. But the best thing I've used is a soap that Ms Kitty makes that has patchouli scent in it. That stuff really works.

 

[troutbert]

Festus wrote:
Shannon BugTamer jacket with the hood works great. But the best thing I've used is a soap that Ms Kitty makes that has patchouli scent in it. That stuff really works.

I thought "patchouli" was the sound you make when you spit out your tobaccy juice.

 

[MattBoyer]

JackM wrote:
Did you ever try those sub-sonic repellants? They put out a high frequency noise that is supposed to keep flying insects away. I always wondered if they worked or are just a gimmick.

I'm pretty sure those are just for mosquitos, and they are mil spec, so I would assume they work. Not that uncle sam has never wasted money before, but they've been using them since the 70's so there must be something to them. I've found absolutely nothing that seems to repel the evil black flies up at the Pine. It is the only place they bother me, and I can bathe in deep woods off with DEET, and they still chew me up. One day I accidentally wore shorts up for a day trip and was miserable as hell. I tried pulling my socks up to my knees, and they got me through my dang socks! I'll always remember the T shirts they used to sell at Wolfe's in Slate Run. They said "Black flies don't bite, They Suck!!!" Everybody ready for the fish-in? :-o

Boyer

 

[troutbert]

RLeeP wrote:
Here are a couple of DEET alternatives tested and verifed as effective by the Feds, CDC in specific.

Cutter produces a product with the Picaridin and The Repel brand line of repellents includes one based on the oil of lemon ecalayptus chemical.


http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050428.htm

Has anyone tried the Cutter Advanced Picaridin Insect Repellent?

I did some Google searches and its available at REI, Walgreens etc.

And there are various reports from various government agencies that say that Picaridin is as good as DEET and doesn't have the adverse effects.

If this stuff is as good as claimed, why are we still buying DEET? It melts fly lines and fly boxes and it's nasty stuff. If you put very much of it on your skin, you can feel the effects of it on your metabolism. You feel like you have poisin in your bloodstream, because you do.

I just bought a big can of OFF. Sheesh. Now I have to go buy this other stuff.

 

[ryanh]

here all these years I thought that patcholi is what you used when you were hunting hippie chicks :lol:

In Alaska the bugs are an order of magnitude worse. I slapped my hand once and killed 5. I typically just go with out. The jerking motions I do when I get bit translate down throught my fly line and impart a lifelike action to my fly...

 

[Festus]

I thought "patchouli" was the sound you make when you spit out your tobaccy juice.

Ya mean yer sposed ta spit that stuff out? Oh heyell :-o :-o :-o