[FishermanTim]

I don't know if you will encounter it, but I have twice so far this summer and I figure it might help explain what others may have experienced.
(Keep in mind that I wear light water resistant sweatpants and an old pair of sneakers when kayaking, so that I don't care that my feet get wet.)
I fish both fresh and salt, and after a trip to a pond in Wayland I noticed a rash around my ankles. (2 weeks ago)
I did a trip out of Duxbury the following weekend with no further issues.

I didn't make the connection between the rash and the pond until this past weekend. I went to the same pond in Wayland and after about an hour my ankles began to itch like crazy, worse than a swarm of mosquitos biting all at one time! I had to get off the water it was so bad!
Next morning I read in the paper about the bacteria problems at some ocean beaches, as well as some freshwater ponds, and then it clicked.....heavy rains and who knows what running off into the rivers, ponds and lakes created algae blooms and in some cases the algae can cause severe irritation to the skin.

Now I'm not "sounding the alarm" here, but rather just letting you all know what to consider as you plan you outings.

Just like the "red tide" algae blooms, these too will pass!