Those nasty ticks.

[MacJig]

So I went out fishing for a few hours a couple nights back. I didn't catch any Bass but it was a good time out. I woke up the next morning feeling good, going about my business when I looked down on my arm and saw what I thought was a blood blister. Didn't think much of it. I went about my business. But later in the day I looked at it again. I moved it from side to side and noticed what I thought were ... legs. Yep, legs! It was my first ever tick. I called to my wife and told her this is really bizarre and repulsive. She tried to extract as much as she could but the head was left inside. So I'm off to urgent Care this morning to get the head removed. Long story short, have you had any experiences with ticks and what have you found to be the best repellent and or practice to avoid them? I really look forward to your responses. No one ever said that fishing was always going to be easy! ?

[Mobasser]

Have had many over the years. Hold a lighter or match close to them. They'll back out. 

[newapti5]

Pennsylvania is famous for its tick seasons. Although I haven't had any tick bites (knocking wood), some of my friends had, and it's no fun at all. 

 

The rule of thumb would be avoiding thick bushes and grass, especially the ones in the wilderness with no one visiting, and always wear long sleeves and pants when you have to. Then, when the day is done, have someone check your pants and back carefully for ticks, before entering indoor.  There were a couple of times that I found ticks on my pants before going home. 

 

Secondly, deet repels ticks, remember to spray some before the fishing trip starts. But make sure your hands don't have deet leftover, as it's a perfect fish repellent as well. 

 

Last but not least, nowadays they even have those "tick repellent" fishing apparel for sale. I am not sure how much effective they are, but it's better than regular clothing for sure. 

 

These are just my suggestions, I am sure others have more to share. 

[Fried Lemons]

Try treating your clothes with permethrin. If I know I'll be walking through woods or any sort of grass/shrub I'm wearing pants no matter how hot it gets. I also tuck my pants into my socks if I walk off trail so they don't crawl up my legs. Ticks are especially bad in Maryland and apparently most of the northeast. It has gotten to the point where I simply avoid certain areas where I know ticks are abundant.  I don't know if you have experienced chiggers but in my opinion they are even worse than ticks. You basically get covered in bites like chicken pox which eventually blister and itch like crazy for two weeks or so. I have some bites that are a year old and still itch occasionally. They live in tall grass along with ticks so exercise caution. When I was a kid I used to wear shorts and walk through woods and tall grass all summer long without a care. Something about the local ecology has changed since then and the tick population has exploded.

[haggard]

The only thing worse than getting skunked is getting ticked. I carry these "Tick nippers" any time I go fishing/camping. They work well. The trick is don't close them too tightly around the tick - don't squeeze the nippers like pliers; they're designed with a small gap between the blades that lets you get around the base of the tick without cutting through it. Pull up firmly and the tick usually pops right out.

 

[DitchPanda]

Oh yeah...I've lived in Iowa for over 20 years so I've had my share of tick run ins. I usually find them before they latch on but on those rare occasions I use the match trick @Mobasser was talking about. Its my understanding that the little tiny deer ticks carry Lyme disease and they are the ones to really watch out for.

[Bird]

No way to avoid them here but you can slow them down with Deet.

I've had 4 and 5 ticks at a time burrowed in various places.

I've heard good things about permethrin, haven't tried it.

 

Keep an eye out for a circle to form around the bite, an indication of lime disease.

 

Oh forgot to mention, we have mostly deer ticks.

[Tennessee Boy]

We have a big problem with deer around here and with that comes an abundance of ticks.  You definitely botched the tick removal which increases your chances of getting a tick born disease.   I’ve known several people that have had serious cases of various diseases.  I know one person who died.  I know two who can no longer eat red meat.  Monitor yourself for symptoms.  Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is easily to detect and easily treated if caught early.  It can be deadly if not treated early.

 

Also learn the proper way to remove a tick. Twizzers or a device like @haggard recommends is what most experts recommend.  There are plenty of other ways that work but they increase the chances of disease transmission.  Do some reading on the web if think other methods are better.

[gim]

Lyme disease is no joke. I occasionally run into ticks when I’m turkey hunting in the spring. That is one advantage of living in the north. Less bugs because of later cold temps.

 

I believe @FryDog62 has had issues with tick disease in his family. Maybe he can offer some insight.

[Bird]

My youngest daughter ( 23 ) had lime disease.

A circle formed around the bite, she ran to ER for an antibiotic and all has been well.

The key is, you have to act.

[MacJig]

5 minutes ago, Bird said:

My youngest daughter ( 23 ) had lime disease.

A circle formed around the bite, she ran to ER for an antibiotic and all has been well.

The key is, you have to act.0

Thanks bird. My doctor prescribed an antibiotic this morning which I'm going to be picking up. Just preventive! 

I've been checking some of the sites online as far as prevention and or dealing with ticks and some are so complicated and numerous in their suggestions that it would take you about 3 hours to prep for a 1 hour fishing trip. There are a lot of good common sense tips out there but some  seem a little unrealistic. I mean if I did everything that I'm told to do online I'd be stripped naked in my driveway before entering the house. Of course by that time the neighbors would have called the police and they would have carted me away anyway.

[A-Jay]

When we've lived in places where they live, ticks are part of the deal.

We are outdoor humans, especially when our world is not frozen. 

Getting out & about on the trail with or without the dogs, there's always going to be some infestation.  Removed Many off us & dogs over the years and with double coated northern breeds, the really small ticks can be tough to find/see somethings.   

Our Canines are all on preventatives year round.

Seems our best defense is to COVER UP and check each other over - after ever excursion. 

We use the same 'technique' to remove ticks from us & the dogs. 

Finally for whatever reason, they like my wife a whole lot more than they like me . 

Just means they have good taste I guess. 

 

My dogs asked me to hang this sign out in the back forty ~ 

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

[FryDog62]

9 hours ago, gimruis said:

Lyme disease is no joke. I occasionally run into ticks when I’m turkey hunting in the spring. That is one advantage of living in the north. Less bugs because of later cold temps.

 

I believe @FryDog62 has had issues with tick disease in his family. Maybe he can offer some insight.

Correct Gim, ticks are serious stuff. If it turns into Lyme disease just know that the testing is very unreliable and can easily go undiagnosed. If it goes systemic, it’s a living nightmare of constant symptoms and likely will never go away. My son and wife have had it for 3+ years. Has ruined their quality of life and caused organ failure and other symptoms a mile long.
 

One little bug is no joke. Get tested, bring the tick to the doctor with you if necessary.  If you get a bulls-eye rash on your skin, or fatigue, joint soreness - even if you test negative, talk your doctor into a round of doxycycline. If they say no, find  another doctor who will. 
 

Be safe! 

[K1500]

I had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a single bite that I caught fairly quickly. It wasn’t any fun. To make it easy do the following if you bank fish regularly.

 

1. Have a dedicated bank fishing outfit that consists of a pair of long legged pants, long socks, shoes, and long sleeve shirt. Keep them separate from your regular clothes. 

2. Treat that outfit well with permethrin based tick spray. Follow the directions and do not treat while wearing. Let dry fully.
 

3.  Every time you fish, spray your ankle/shins/boots with a quick spray of DEET when you get out of the car.

 

The permethrin spray lasts a long time on clothes, so there is no need to treat every time. After your first treatment dries, your fishing outfit is just a grab and go deal. It even lasts through washings. You can also buy some clothing that is pretreated by the manufacturer, if that makes you more comfortable. 
 

You should also treat your backpack/tackle bag with permethrin if you set it down in the weeds a lot, to prevent hitchhikers. Again, it lasts a long time so once or twice per season is probably enough. 
 

Finally, doxycycline (the preferred antibiotic for tick bites) can make you very sun sensitive, so be sure to use lots of sunscreen and cover up. 

[Vilas15]

Another benefit of wearing waders when I'm stream fishing even if I don't go past ankle deep.

[Eric 26]

My daughter was out on a hiking trail about a week ago and sat on a log. She didn’t realize a tick had attached itself to the back of her knee, when she realized what had happened 2 days later my wife ran her to our local hospitals urgent care to have it removed. Unfortunately the staff was ill equipped in tick removal and my wife feels the head was not removed by the pushy nurse who removed the tick. They gave her 1 dose of antibiotics and thankfully all seems well but she had blood drawn to make sure and will be having blood drawn again in 6 weeks. A guy I work with contracted Lyme disease and it took weeks of treatment to seemingly get it under control and seeing the effects it’s not pleasant. I wish my wife and daughter would have waited for me to get home and remove the d**n thing myself. Long winded point is don’t let anyone remove it that doesn’t know what they’re doing and do your best to avoid them in the first place.

[MacJig]

16 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

My daughter was out on a hiking trail about a week ago and sat on a log. She didn’t realize a tick had attached itself to the back of her knee, when she realized what had happened 2 days later my wife ran her to our local hospitals urgent care to have it removed. Unfortunately the staff was ill equipped in tick removal and my wife feels the head was not removed by the pushy nurse who removed the tick. They gave her 1 dose of antibiotics and thankfully all seems well but she had blood drawn to make sure and will be having blood drawn again in 6 weeks. A guy work with contracted Lyme disease and it took weeks of treatment to seemingly get it under control and seeing the effects it’s not pleasant. I wish my wife and daughter would have waited for me to get home and remove the d**n thing myself. Long winded point is don’t let anyone remove it that doesn’t know what they’re doing and do your best to avoid them in the first place.

Just came home from urgent Care to see if they could remove the head. I was told it really wasn't necessary that the head will come out by itself. I was also told that infection was not an issue now since the tick was dead. They did give me one dose of antibiotics to take which I did.  I will just keep an eye on it for now. If need be I'll go to my own physician. This is one of the silent dangers of fishing. You can't even feel when they're on you and you don't feel their bite. Often you don't see them until they actually burrow into your skin. Oh the cost of catching a bass!

[Fallser]

I do not like ticks.  Several years ago, I must of had a tick on my back, but it left that bull's eye associated with Lyme disease.  I was lucky to get into see my doctor right away, and I spent the next 30 days taking the anti-biotic he prescribed.  My friend, wasn't so lucky, before I met her, she had Lyme disease which was not diagnosed correctly and ended up in the ICU.  She fortunately hasn't had any long term effects from it.

 I try to avoid the obvious tick areas, but I wear light colored clothing, easier to see them.  Tuck my pants into my socks.  I liberally spray my pants, and any uncovered portion of my body with bug spray.  so far it's worked.

[Eric 26]

39 minutes ago, Fallser said:

I do not like ticks.  Several years ago, I must of had a tick on my back, but it left that bull's eye associated with Lyme disease.  I was lucky to get into see my doctor right away, and I spent the next 30 days taking the anti-biotic he prescribed.  My friend, wasn't so lucky, before I met her, she had Lyme disease which was not diagnosed correctly and ended up in the ICU.  She fortunately hasn't had any long term effects from it.

 I try to avoid the obvious tick areas, but I wear light colored clothing, easier to see them.  Tuck my pants into my socks.  I liberally spray my pants, and any uncovered portion of my body with bug spray.  so far it's worked.

I never thought of wearing light colored clothes but I will be from now on. Great Tip??

[Bankbeater]

Best way I have found to keep ticks away is to stay out of where they are, and don't think you're safe fishing out of a boat.  One trip we were under overhanging trees casting toward the bank and I found a tick crawling up my arm.  It turns out that ticks get up in the trees and will drop down on top of their host.

[NYWayfarer]

I wear long pants fishing even in 90 degree+ heat. I spray the hell outta them with bug spray, same with boots, socks, shirt, hat. Luckily I have been tick free.

[MacJig]

41 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

I wear long pants fishing even in 90 degree+ heat. I spray the hell outta them with bug spray, same with boots, socks, shirt, hat. Luckily I have been tick free.

Smart. I always have spray with me but i figured that March in NY should still be relatively bug free. I just didn't think that I needed spray. I was wrong. 

[NYWayfarer]

It was in the high thirties when I went fishing at 8am today. Sprayed my boots, pants and hat just to be safe.

[Bird]

3 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

Best way I have found to keep ticks away is to stay out of where they are, and don't think you're safe fishing out of a boat.  One trip we were under overhanging trees casting toward the bank and I found a tick crawling up my arm.  It turns out that ticks get up in the trees and will drop down on top of their host.

Wow, crafty buggers.

But yes, if you have dogs they can invade the bed at night, I know.

[TnRiver46]

14 hours ago, Bird said:

My youngest daughter ( 23 ) had lime disease.

A circle formed around the bite, she ran to ER for an antibiotic and all has been well.

The key is, you have to act.

I’ve had a bullseye around a bite once, maybe I have Lyme disease? I feel great, it was years ago. They bite me all the time 

 

doctors don’t seem to know much about Lyme. I went to college with a girl that got it, doctors told her over and over again that she didn’t have it and that Lyme didn’t exist in TN. They were wrong on both accounts