biting flies

[eurolarva]

Anybody got any ideas on how to stop biting flies. I have tried deet 30 percent and that does not seem to work. A biting fly is nailing my ankles and feet and causing them to swell up. Never seen this kind before. Looks like a deer fly but has red and tan stripes. I am willing to try anything short of dousing myself with gas and lighting it off. It would be a bummer to have to wear wadders on an 85 degree day on the boat

 

[catfish1]

Re: biting flies

the best stuff i have found that will keep even the flies away is "skin so soft". no joke! <br />its even a sun block.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: biting flies

long pants might work?

 

[JB]

Re: biting flies

When I was up at LOTW I used Ultra Muskol, 40% DEET and suffered not.<br /><br />I also wore long pants and ankle-high boots (Browning Kangaroo Featherweights).<br /><br />Many other fishermen there complained of the flies biting through cotton socks, tee shirts and even jeans.<br /><br />I believe there are pump spray products with even more DEET than the Ultra Muskol, but they are not labeled to repel biting flies. The Ultra Muskol is.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[Scoop]

Re: biting flies

I have the same problem at the lake I was on. The only thing that works for me is shoes and two pairs of socks or long pants. They love my feet and will bite through one pair of socks. I have not tried Ultra Muskol.<br /><br />The only experience I have with extremely hight DEET products was when I was removing Civil War era graves from a site in a woods in Western Wisconsin. I was workig for the Historical society saving graves that were washing into a creek. The black flies and mosquitos were unbelievable. We got some Muskol that said something like 100% DEET. It came in a small bottle and you put a small amount on your hands and rubbed it on your clothes. You tucked your pants in your socks and wore long sleeves and hats in 97 degree heat and 90% humidity. Between the DEET and the heat we were so loopy, we could barely walk at the end of the day. The Muskol actully melted our fingerprints into the bic pens we were using to record the data. That stuff was definitely not meant to be put on skin.

 

[miloman]

Re: biting flies

100% deet in a spray bottle works best but as others had said DONT spray on exposed skin spray the ankles etc

 

[rolmops]

Re: biting flies

I was told that heavy smokers are not as much of a target for those buggers.So I tried some nicotine patches and lo and behold they mostly attacked my fishing buddy who had it coming anyway. That stinker caught all the fish.

 

[JB]

Re: biting flies

A Lakota friend once told me that native Americans dealt with the flies by eating raw wild garlic. Also seems to repel mosquitos, and we all know about MN and Canada mosquitos.<br /><br />As much as I like garlic, I haven't tried it, but I can't imagine the Lakota or other Sioux nations surviving MN summers unless it worked. They rarely wore much clothing.

 

[mrn714]

Re: biting flies

Skin so soft is the ticket.

 

[Scoop]

Re: biting flies

Raw wild garlic will probably scare away your fishing partners too.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: biting flies

I will try skin so soft. Went out again this weekend and saturated my ankles and feet with 30 percent deet and that was no help. I smoke about a pack a day so thats not helping. I like garlic so that is another option. It has been in the 90x with high humidity. The long pants and two pairs of socks are brutal. This fly that is causing the swelling has a v type body with red and tan stripes. Never seen these before this year usually they are black deer flies. I think it is some kind of act of terrorism geared to the Minnesota fisherman

 

[SoulWinner]

Re: biting flies

Down we have a fly that looks like a regular house fly, but they only come out this time of year, and they bite the FIRE outta you. They also go for ancles and feet, and 30% DEET has no effect. I am picking up some Skin So Soft before I head back out.