Bug Repellent

streamerguy1

streamerguy1

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Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
73
What does everyone use?

Lately I've been using that Off Deep Woods stuff(or whatever it's called) and it seems to work ok with the mosquitos (not great, but good enough) but no matter how much I put on it won't keep those annoying gnats and other flies away. I can hear the buzzing and feel them crawling in my ears just thinking about it!

Just interested in other options. No way you'll get me to buy one of those ninja fly fishing buff fashion fad things, but I'm up to other suggestions....
 
I have a big bottle of Off that does not have DEET in it, uses the Picardian (sp?) something or other as the active repellent. I use the big bottle to refill the little spayer I keep in the vest. I've had DEET melt the varnish off a rod and it can be hell on other plastic stuff also, so I pretty much avoid it.

You'll also be sure to see some suggestions for cigar smoke & Bounce dryers sheets stuffed in a pocket...
 
I have used the off battery fan in the past and it does ok but I recently picked up a thermacell clip on. It's a little pricey. the unit is around 20 the belt clip is around 13 and the refills are 5-6. I have to say though it is completely worth the cost. I made the mistake of not having enough refills last weekend while camping. The whole first day I wore it without anything else and I didn't see a single bug on me the whole time. The following day I used the off deep woods with deet and it does ok but I still got about 10 bites that day. It uses a butane flame over a chemical disk to create a barrier. I love it and will use it fishing from now on. I got mine at wal-mart.

here is a link
http://www.thermacell.com/mosquito-repellent/appliances/mosquito-repellent-appliance-in-olive
 
Groove, How and where do you carry the thermacell?

On your belt, at the hip?

Did you notice any issues with smelling, breathing fumes?

Does it generate enough heat to bother you on a warm day?
 
I use nothing since the bug juice annoys me worse then the bugs. For wahtever reason i dont seem to get bit as much as others. bugs buzzing and landing on me generally does not bother me. now flying into my eyes, ears and nose does. i Contemplated the thermacell but I figured its nothing but hype. I just can't see how it can create a "barrier" around you if there is even the slightest hint of a breeze present.
 
I used to use DEET. But after seeing what it does to fly lines, I decided I don't really won't to put it on my skin anymore. And started using Picaridin.
It works OK - although not quite as good as DEET. And it needs to be applied more often.
 
Troutbert,

I wore it on my belt at the back of my pants. It was warm but it wasn't that noticeable due to the fact that it was 95 degrees outside. I didn't notice a smell at all. With the Off clip on there is a noticeable smell. You will see a little smoke trail coming from the cartridge but no smell. It is kind of bulky but with the gear I wear to fish it fits right in.
 
Generally, I don't use anything. I think I probably have enough 6-12 (who remembers 6-12?) in my system from when I was a kid in the 60's and spent most of my summers wade fishing the swampy hickory flats of the upper French Creek drainage for bass. The most mosquitoes I've ever seen anywhere outside of Canada.

But when I do need something, I use either Picaridin or a cheap Wally World head net. Or both. I haven't been able to use DEET for the last 35 years because I've had two behind the ear hearing aids and DEET will eat their plastic cases.

Initially, I resisted the idea of using a head net, thinking it would reduce my ability to see dry fly takes, etc. But I was way wrong... Like virtually everything else, you get used to it. I really think it is the best alternative when the gnats are really bad. And after what I fished through as a kid, mosquitoes don't really bother me.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

I've heard from someone else DEET is pretty rough on equipment but wasn't sure if it was true or not. Thanks for confirming..

I too am not a fan of the head net idea but I may have give it a try. Just seems too uncomfortable to fish with, but if it stops the annoying buzzing gnats from crawling to my brain through my ears then I guess it's ok with me. lol
 
An Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story cigar works for me.
 
I use 100% deet products and bug dope I pick up in Maine.

For those worried about putting deet on your sensitive, precious skin . . . don't. Spray it on your clothes, hat, etc.

Having said that, I have literally destroyed (2) sunglasses this way. Shoot deet on long sleeves, pants, hat etc. Fish. Put sunglasses up on hat. Realize 2 days later you are not blind, rather the deet bitched up the polarization of the lens. Call Kaenon to see how much replacement lens would be. Understand when they say "send them to us to make sure the frames are sooooo cool/awesome that they deserve new lens" you simply say fak it and buy a new pair off Sierra for $90.

Summary: Deet: Screw line, watch glasses.

Edit: Streamerfly1guy don't go to Maine during black fly season.
 
I haven't used anything here in PA other than my pipe/cigars. After hearing about Maine, though, I figure when I get up there I'm gonna need something. Gotta look into that Bug Dope stuff, and invest in some of those fancy shmancy fishin' shirts.
 
Another vote for the Thermacell.

I got one last year for dove hunting in the early season after the bugs seemed to actually like everything else I'd thrown at them, DEET or not.

I'd say non DEET repellents reduced bug annoyance by maybe 10-25%, DEET was in the 25-40% range, and the Thermacell was maybe 65-75%...on calm days.

On a breezy day, those fumes are getting blown away, but then again, so are most of the bugs.

For me, at least, the Thermacell made the difference between an afternoon where I couldn't stand the bugs even if it meant the end of a hunt...and a day where the bugs were still annoying, but I could easily put up with them for the chance at a few more birds.
 
Bugs are the charm of being outdoors. You are all wimps.
 
streamerguy1 wrote:
What does everyone use?

Lately I've been using that Off Deep Woods stuff(or whatever it's called) and it seems to work ok with the mosquitos (not great, but good enough) but no matter how much I put on it won't keep those annoying gnats and other flies away. ....

streamerguy

I've used Deep Woods Off for years. Works great for me on everything, including deer flies, ticks, etc. The only itching I've been doing after fishing is from poison ivy.
 
JackM wrote:
Bugs are the charm of being outdoors. You are all wimps.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=711&sid=29721017

May be a wimp, but enjoy not dying.
 
JackM wrote:
Bugs are the charm of being outdoors. You are all wimps.

And interest in soccer is a sure sign of moral decay.

 
The_Sasquatch wrote:
I haven't used anything here in PA other than my pipe/cigars. After hearing about Maine, though, I figure when I get up there I'm gonna need something. Gotta look into that Bug Dope stuff, and invest in some of those fancy shmancy fishin' shirts.

Go early or go late. You don't want to be there during prime black fly anyway. This year was terrible. I suggest buying while up there as locals tend to know best.
 
The black flies of Maine can be brutal - words cannot describe. Stuff like OFF is nothing more than a salad dressing or A1 steak sauce. You need the heavy duty 98% DEET stuff.
 
If the Maine black flies are anything like their pals in the Adirondacks, typical spray repellents are just about completely useless. Far more effective to just wear lightweight, breathable long sleeve shirts and pants, a hat & buff, and keep a little smoldering fire going for smoke.

In camp, the fire isn't tough to maintain...keep a stack of green material nearby to produce extra smoke as needed. On the water, some used a cigar or pipe, others actually kept a small coffee can on their canoe...threw a few coals from the fire in, and had a supply of leaves/grass they'd throw on as necessary to keep the smoke flowing.

Not 100% effective, but it made things bearable, and it was way better than any spray.
 
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