I've updated my Smallie Fishing website.....

Well here is something that hasn't been hit on in this thread BUGS. Last trip mosquitoes weren't as bad, just those darn black flies, and their bites don't feel good either. Trip before last the mosquitoes were pretty bad too! We use deet, it helps some. What do you guys use to keep them off of you. I though about soaking clothes in prometherin...used it in the military, and it worked overseas pretty well. I have also checked out those handheld thermacell mosquitoe repelent systems. Anyone used those with any luck?

[QUOTE=FishinBoo;330653]Well here is something that hasn't been hit on in this thread BUGS. Last trip mosquitoes weren't as bad, just those darn black flies, and their bites don't feel good either. Trip before last the mosquitoes were pretty bad too! We use deet, it helps some. What do you guys use to keep them off of you. I though about soaking clothes in prometherin...used it in the military, and it worked overseas pretty well. I have also checked out those handheld thermacell mosquitoe repelent systems. Anyone used those with any luck?[/QUOTE]


The bugs where UGLY this year.........REALLY BAD......probably because of all the water, and I suspect they will be bad all the way up till mid August/Mid September. the Prometherin works GREAT. I've used it on all my trips, and it eliminates the tick issue. It also helps with black flies, because they land, the shake, and the DIE. Does nothing for mosquitoes though.

Deet........well it works, but is a KILLER on your equipment. It will eat plastic, melt no see um netting, destroy fishing line, and is a GREAT fish detracter.......

the Thermacell........well there is a class action against the company right now. Seems the active ingredient has not been approved by ANYONE for use as a bug repellent, and it is DEADLY to fish. In fact, I believe they are outlawed in Canada. There were a couple threads on BWCA.COM about this. AND on top of that, they device really doesn't work too well if it is breezy, and breezy up there.......IT IS.

For "bug management" here is what I do.

* Wear LIGHT clothing........long shirts, and long pants. I know that is a PAIN in the BUTT.........especially when it is HOT, but around camp and early morn, that will pretty much keep them at bay.

* NO BLUE..........especially Royal Blue, or Navy Blue.........Attracts bugs. In fact, pretty much all dark colors should be off limits. TAN, Olive, Grey, etc, etc. Those colors are neutral, and seem to work better.

* Take a BUG net for your head.

* If you must use DEET, get the 100% stuff, and use it ONLY on the cuffs of your sleeves, and pants, and spray a little on the coller of your shirt, and then some on your hat. That will keep them at bay..........

One other thing you can do to minimize the amount of deet absorbed into your skin, is this......

USE a sunscreen that is absorbed into your skin, instead of one that "smears over". The ones that absorb into the skin help block the poors, and Deet can be put over this easily without causing health concerns.........I've never worried about it in the past, but with kids going up.......I took my daughter this year, I used this idea, and it seemed to work OK.

One other thing..........those black specks in the fish and potatoes at night..........it's not pepper....... :) Justs some extra protein.

I hope this helps.......

Later,

Geo

Geo--I always C&R on the smaller lakes, don't usually keep much anyway. I can't stand the thought of catching and keeping those old fish for some reason, I eat fish here at home all the time but up there to me it seems like stealing. Nothing wrong with keeping a few small ones for dinner but I agree, why go that far out to load a cooler up with all the walleye in Saganaga?

Have you ever fished Plume? It's actually a really fun little lake to fish. We circled it on foot a couple of years ago, deciding whether or not to spend some time there. The guy I was with was on the other side stomping and breaking sticks, I could hear a moose on that side thrashing around and bellowing. When we met back up he asked me what all my waving and jumping up and down was for... I told him there was a moose over on that side and he should have been more quiet, it's their mating season.

When we go, last week of August, first of September, there aren't many bugs. Last year it got down to 29 degrees on the coldest night. We had mosquitos come into camp one night that tore everybody else up though. They don't usually bite me and if they do I don't swell up so I didn't even notice, the next morning everybody was talking about how bad they were though.

It's the camp mice that bother me more than the bugs, ever put a few peanuts in a 5 gallon bucket and see how many mice you have the next morning?

Sorry Skipjack, that's west of where we put in, probably out of Ely. Just think subsurface and you'll catch fish. I always take a fishfinder with me, the little wrist models don't work but the 100-150 dollar portables do fine.