Ticks on my... Unmentionables...

[AJ Hauser]

Yesterday, I found a few amazing little fishing spots with unblemished bass. They were in the very back of a remote SFWA. All it took for find them was a long hike through very tall grass. I haven't lugged my kayak (a sweet little Payette by Lifetime - super squeaky & noisy, it's frustrating but it's light) through an area quite this dense before. 

 

Well, fast forward a few miles, more than a few bass, and a few hours later. I was wiped. Headed back. Stopped & bent down to tie my shoe, and noticed tick #1 on my ankle. Yuk. He was removed, and the slog continued another good mile or so. Back to the truck, back to the driveway, and as I was telling my wife the tale of the day, I got to the tick part. She said: 

 

"You better take your clothes off and check everywhere."

 

"Oh yeah, gee whizz, OK dear!"

 

I laughed, and as someone who finds full frontal nudity hilarious, ripped my pants off right in the kitchen. I looked down and noticed a new spot on my thigh... tick #2 was starting to burrow. Yuk. He was removed. My wife, now thoroughly grossed out, said: 

 

"You better toss those boxers and check EVERYWHERE..."

 

"Ha ha ha, OK sure dear. There is no way there is anything THERE."

 

I dropped 'em, still laughing. 

She pointed and gasped: 

 

"THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!"

 

I made a skeptical face. You see, my wife and I like to jerk each other around. She has become quite good at busting my chops after many years of marriage. This was the perfect setup. Too good to pass up. 

 

"Oh yeah, sure babe, I'm not falling for that, there is no way t-"

 

I looked down. 

There he was. 

Right where she was pointing. 

Tick #3 was right on my unmentionables. 

 

"GAHHHH!"

 

Fellas, I do not startle easily, but in that moment my life flashed before my eyes. 

 

Removal was traumatic, but thankfully, relatively painless. 

 

And so, my brothers, I stand before you today asking for your advice - because I have to go back. These bass were unbothered, eager to hit topwater, and I lost one much bigger than the largemouth in the pic below. Would you please do me a solid, and share your best advice for avoiding ticks? Especially if you drag a kayak around in tall grass like this from time to time as well. 

 

Thank you. 

 

P.S. - I also managed to put a hole in the bottom of my yak, so after ALL OF THAT NONSENSE, my fishing time was cut short. If you have any tips on "yak repair", please advise. Thank you. 

 

 

 

 

Hoofin' it through Tickville...

The reason I have to get back... these guys were perfect: 

[MiceNReets]

Well you can get some really good deep woods spray that repellents mosquitos and ticks and get a good spray around you.     You can also bubble wrap yourself pretty good and remove it when you get to your fishing spot.    Or possibly a set of coveralls to wear through there.    Remove and shake off good and then put back on when ready to hike back.    Also maybe make a good pair of boxers out of duct tape as a fortress for the unmentionables.   
 

 

[Choporoz]

My only advice is to shower 13 times a day.  I had never seen a live tick before this year.   Now if I take the dog out for five minutes, I've got them all over.  Bug spray helps a little.  Permetherin helps a little.  But I'm a tick magnet.  I've had them on my junk....twice in the last several weeks.  I need some of what my dog takes.  He gets plenty, but they all die before they take root.

[Susky River Rat]

Ticks seem to be bad this year. I haven’t found any on me thank god.  I have found quite a few on my dog and he does not go i high grass. One thing i was taught after walking through high grass try to brush/ shake your clothing off.  Chances are if they are on at that time they will come off your clothing easily.

[gim]

I believe @Jar11591 recently found one on his junk too lol.

 

Lyme Disease is no joke.  @FryDog62 kids have it and it has affected their health on a regular basis.

 

The only way to completely avoid them is to avoid the habitat they thrive in.  That's long grass.  Being that you've found a potential gold mine of unpressured, aggressive bass, I can understand the purpose of trying to get back there.  Long pants with high socks, bug spray with deet or permethrin, and thoroughly checking yourself when you're done is about the best route.  No bass is worth getting Lyme Disease for.  If you suspect you have it, go see medical professional immediately and demand treatment.  If its not addressed quickly, it will cause problems later in life.

[Choporoz]

I'm actually more concerned about Alpha Gal than Lyme.  Right or wrong, I've decided that Lyme detection and treatment has advanced enough that I'm not too scared.  But Alpha Gal....jeez...when my wife's friend told us she is allergic to red meat, I thought she was joking.  I'd never heard of that.  But dang....never again being able to eat a steak or burger....now THAT is scary

[TnRiver46]

All part of the experience. I can feel them walking on me and can definitely feel it once they’ve embedded. I got one on my unmentionables in SC 2018 and the bite mark is still there and still itches 

[GaryH]

When going into the woods weather scouting, fishing or hunting I treat all my exterior clothing with Permithrin. Not only repels but kills ticks. Follow the directions and Do Not spray on your skin.

[galyonj]

16 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

All part of the experience. I can feel them walking on me and can definitely feel it once they’ve embedded. I got one on my unmentionables in SC 2018 and the bite mark is still there and still itches 

 

[A-Jay]

Part of the deal unfortunately. 

Check and recheck after most any outdoor experience. 

My dogs asked my to hang this sign out back as a friendly reminder.

A-Jay

[Bass Junke]

I have ticks on me often. I hike with my 2 dogs almost every day, play disc golf once or twice a week. So I'm in the woods every day. picking ticks off my dogs and myself is a daily event. This year has been a dog tick year which is good. The past few years have been all deer ticks. Deer tick are tiny. 

 

I've had ticks engorged for a couple of days several times. Went to the doctor, no big deal. 

One day just after taking a shower I went down to the man cave to watch TV and I felt a sharp pinch on my you know what. Sure enough I felt that deer tick bite down, immediately extracted, itched for a bit. Kind of traumatic for a moment. Ticks Suck. 

[TOXIC]

Treat your clothes and wear tall socks with your pants legs taped around them.  As for patching the yak, Gator Guard makes a product called Gator Patch that will work. TH Marine owns them now.  

[GaryH]

22 minutes ago, Bass Junke said:

 

One day just after taking a shower I went down to the man cave to watch TV and I felt a sharp pinch on my you know what. Sure enough I felt that deer tick bite down, immediately extracted, itched for a bit. Kind of traumatic for a moment. Ticks Suck. 

Literally !

[Pat Brown]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

I'm actually more concerned about Alpha Gal than Lyme.  Right or wrong, I've decided that Lyme detection and treatment has advanced enough that I'm not too scared.  But Alpha Gal....jeez...when my wife's friend told us she is allergic to red meat, I thought she was joking.  I'd never heard of that.  But dang....never again being able to eat a steak or burger....now THAT is scary

 

I have it.  It sucks.  Also was treated for Lyme disease when I was a teenager.  

 

I am also a tick magnet.  Basically, best advice I can give is get those ticks off quick when you find em on you.  Go to the doctor if you feel weird or a bite isn't healing right.

 

As far as prevention, tuck everything into everything and wear layers (hard to do in the summer), but going through tall grass like that you're lucky you didn't get covered in chigger bites also!  They're almost worse than ticks.

[Swamp Girl]

I've found Pemethrin to be effective. I remember sitting around a campfire in Ontario and my clothing was sprayed and sealed in a plastic bag for 24 hours. A tick was headed to me, got a whiff, and turned to my dad who wasn't protected. 

[Bass Junke]

49 minutes ago, GaryH said:

Literally !

Pun intended.

[AJ Hauser]

Thank you for all the feedback fellas - just picked up some permethrin spray for the yak, gear and my shoes & pants. I will also be shrink-wrapping my junk. 

 

I didn't mention, they were both dog ticks for sure. Thankfully. Do deer ticks hang out in the same areas usually, and do they ALL carry Lyme or just some?

 

As you can probably tell... I'm ready to go back for those bass... just gotta talk myself into it. 

 

Thanks!

[scaleface]

I just pulled a tick off my scalp while reading this . I use Deet . Spray clothes liberally .

[FryDog62]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

Lyme Disease is no joke.  @FryDog62 kids have it and it has affected their health on a regular basis.

 

No bass is worth getting Lyme Disease for.  If you suspect you have it, go see medical professional immediately and demand treatment.  If its not addressed quickly, it will cause problems later in life.

If undiagnosed/untreated Lyme Disease goes on for more than a couple weeks, it goes systemic and likely will never go away. It will ruin many parts of your body/joints/organs for life. If you test negative but still have symptoms (this is much more common than anyone thinks), convince your doctor to get you on Doxycycline asap. 

[MediumMouthBass]

Another good alternative to putting chemicals made of who knows what on you or your clothes is plain vinegar, I would go bank fishing a few jungle like spots full of deer and ticks/mosquitoes. Applying the vinegar on a paper towel to the skin as well as dumping it/spraying it on clothes and boots works for both insects. (Just reapply every 2 hours). Vinegar might not be as great as the other options but it works, and it is 100% SAFE FOR HUMAN USE AND AROUND PETS, you might just smell like a french fry for a while.

[TnRiver46]

I have lots of pemethrin but after reading the directions I haven’t used any. Maybe one day, sounds like some awful stuff 

[Will Ketchum]

When hiking through brush I carry a walking stick and swing it back and forth to knock any ticks off their game before I pass. Try that with your paddle.

[Jar11591]

6 hours ago, gimruis said:

I believe @Jar11591 recently found one on his junk too lol.

Yup. I found it hilarious. Laughed so hard I cried! Hurt a little to pluck it off though. I have my girlfriend help search me now whenever I’m done mowing or landscaping or otherwise in the bush. A 2nd junk tick probably won’t be as funny. 

Found a tiny tick on my stomach just yesterday. 

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, Jar11591 said:

Yup. I found it hilarious. Laughed so hard I cried! Hurt a little to pluck it off though. I have my girlfriend help search me now whenever I’m done mowing or landscaping or otherwise in the bush. A 2nd junk tick probably won’t be as funny. 

If they actually latch onto me, it itches like crazy. Thankfully 

[Jar11591]

@TnRiver46 yeah that’s the only reason I found the tiny one yesterday. It was the size of poppy seed. Never woulda noticed if I didn’t itch like hell