Lots of bites at the Canal.
 

Those damn Mosquitos disregard anything but 100% Deet. I think Deet is making my hair turn gray. I look like I got chickenpocks.

Vent over, back to fishing.

Skeeters are definitely part of the Canal equation.

I like to wear something with long sleeves and a hood. It can be hot but if you choose the materials , and fish at night , its usually tolerable. I also spray the bug repelent around the edge of the hood. It keeps most bugs off me without getting it on my skin. I do have to spray my hands directly though.

Sometimes them buggers will bite right through your pants so sometimes you have to spray the outside of your cloths.

Anyway , you want to minimize the number of bites if possible because skeeters carry some nasty diseases. Some that can even kill you.

I was out on Heard Pond in my kayak last night, and I only got bit twice. The problem wasn't as bad as I thought, that is until I turned on my flashlight, and then I saw just how bad this year is shaping up to be.
I had liberally applied the bug spray on my clothes and myself, leaving no spot uncovered and uncoated (or so I thought).
The damm skeeters kept after me once the sun set, and kept looking for that one hole in my defenses. They found spots just below my right shoulder blade and elbow. Other than that, they weren't that bad. The fishing was good, so it offset the skeeters buzzing around my ears.

The problem was when I turned on the flashlight (1 mill candlepower) and it looked like I was in the middle of a winter flurry of mosquitos!
I don't think there could ever be enough fish to take care of that many bugs in any one pond!

Thank goodness I picked up a second can of bug spray this spring, because I'm going to need it!

They're effing relentless. I'm not allergic to their anti-coagulant that causes the bumps and itching, so I never really know when I've been eaten alive unless I feel them biting me. Which is a two-edged sword because I would venture to guess that I'm not immune to EEE or West Nile.

Last night was brutal--it was unbearably humid and you have to wear long sleeves and a heavy enough fabric to prevent them from biting you right through it--which means you sweat like a claimer in a stakes race and wear off the repellant in 20 minutes. Sweating DEET into your eyes and mouth is a real treat, too :rotf2:

The non-DEET sprays are for crap IMO.

Insect Shield Scarf
 

I'm a wuss so I just bought one of these things for that exact reason. I wear a glove on my casting hand anyway so when they're really bad I'll probably wear one on my left hand.

You guys are just trying to scare everyone off...

I had one of those Buffs on the other weekend, I wear them alot. They work pretty well and are not too hot.

You get some strange looks though when the sun comes up!

The fog was great on sunday night as it kept them away, but they where there heavy last night, the fog came in again right about the turn at midnight, but the damage was done.

I had long sleeves and 100% deet that I applied like it was shampoo.

I wear the same getup when I fish, whether it's May, July, August or October.
I wear a long sleeve turtle neck shirt, and a nylon wind breaker.
Any exposed areas get blasted with bug spray before I put on my gloves.

Keep in mind that I do this wading down the canal or on the bridge in Duxbury because the skeeters are bad, PEROID.
I've gotten weird looks from others when I fish in Duxbury, until they end up doing the mosquito "slap-dance" because they are too exposed and those little blood-suckers will find somewhere to bite!

I should mention that it's not the little ones that I'm defending against.
Those are easy: just bug spray.
The ones I'm fighting against are the "tiger" mosquitos, are relatively new import from across the pond. They are bigger than the traditional ones, and are much more agressive. They will fly in you face, eyes, ears and nose. Bug spray does work, but they play "the numbers game" by CONSTANTLY landing and biting, landing and biting, etc.... with the hopes of striking oil. They are also notorious for what I call "the hit and run" bite. They land and bite very quickly, so that more often than not they escape your swat.

Bottom line: COVER UP AND BUG SPRAY

Get some good heavy duty spray and get some in your mouth. It goes numb like you ate coke and you won't think about the bugs as your TWEAKING OUT. :biglaugh: I can't feel my mouth!!!!!!!!:rotf2:

I thought I was the only one who thought that :uhuh:

Get a mosquito suit, when I lived in Miami and fished the Everglades every weekend, you never experienced mosquitos so bad ... especially during the summer when the fishing was best, the bugs were the worst ... 23 varieties of mosquitos call the Everglades home ... they were so bad, you could not breathe, open your eyes, truly a miserable way if you were not prepared ... we would wear the mosquito netting suites head to toe ... plus the gloves which also provided protection from the sun and gripping on the push poles ... sometimes when I forgot it we would spray ourselves with yard gaurd - I could have sworn it made my boys shrink ... but when your boat is trapped under the mangroves and its 95+ degrees, you do anything to get rid of them ... but you can find these suits online, I don't remember the brand ... but they keep the bugs away for the most part.

LL Bean has a line of cloths that's called Bug-Off
I don't have any experience with it but it's worth a try

I use that green pump bottle of OFF. Takes care of them little buggers just fine.

Is this more canal whining???
First no fish for a few days and now mosquitoes?
You guys should take up bowling!
Pansies.

Orvis has the same and it works, Orvis is called Buzz Off I think.

little bastards were penetrating the s-wetsuit last night....:fury:,,,, and luds, they have no problem penetrating the glove either...I had a 5th knuckle in the middle of my hand when I got back to the truck last night
:buds:...beer helps soothe the pain though

I second this. Been wearing one down there all year. With a hat and glasses to boot, you don't need much spray to get your head and neck fully protected. I've been looking into those light fingerless gloves the fly guys wear for the sun... A real wuss, but I can't take it...

JImmy, tell them about the mosquitoes out in the boat on The Bay. bastards bite off a chunk and fly off to land on a lobster bouy and eat it!

I don't know Paul, I've been driven almost mad by the mosquitoes at the canal this week before the sun comes up...never experienced anything like it in the past four seasons on The Bay....

Maybe your the guy that motivated me to buy one. I was fishing the cape side last Tuesday and this dude(maybe you) made fun of himself for wearing it. I hit EMS right after work to buy one. I just see myself swallowing some skeeters and can't handle the thought of it.

Pray for some wind. Justa little wind knocks the skeeter problem down quickly. Unfortunately , there is often not a breath of wind on the worst hot humid nights.

I forgot to mention I have an LLbean hat that has a netthat hangs down to your kneck. It has a funny sort fo wire in it that gives it the hat shape when open but alolows it to be twisted and crunched down to a very small size that fits in you jacket pocket.

I used to be able to buy a Cutters brand repellant that you applied like a stick deodorant. It was nice because you could do you face without getting it in your mouth and on your lips. Haven't seen it in a while but I bet somebody knows where to buy it. Its much better than the airosol spray IMO.

One morning about 2 weeks ago the little bugs were so bad the quahoggers were complaining about them and those guys don't usually bitch too much. If you listed to Channel 78 in Narr Bay they are on all the time.

I got some at the Christmas Tree shoppes. I put it on my face and got some sort of reaction where my face and the edge of my lips started burning. That motivated me to get that head buff thing that Luds is showing, to cut down on the need to put chemicals around the face.

Sorry Luds, wasn't me Tuesday.

Whatever man! I thought we had a connection??????:deer:

Oh give me a break... I'm not sure how some of those guys find time to dig they chat so much....

You guys actually spray the bug spray on your face?
I did that ONCE and then started spraying it on one hand and applying it like sun-tan lotion. That way you don't end up inhaling the crap and gagging.
I know one bug repellent that makes moist towlettes. They come in handy for applying where you want and it allows you to attach it to the back of you hat for a little added protection as well.

New reality series coming from this post, SURVIVOR-THE CANAL.

No, I was talking about that chap stick one - never again :doh:

I wish Luds. My fish count would have appreciated it :fishin: I'll keep an eye out for another man with no face :D

Forget waterboarding, tie a terrorist down naked at the canal and he'll be singing Bin Laden's location in minutes.