How do you deal with....

[evrgladesbasser]

MOSQUITOES!

Man, I forgot how much I hate those little stinkers. Those things along with the Noseeums are making night fishing almost unbearable down here right now. The typical spray in a can junk just doesn't cut it. So what do you do to keep the biting bugs away?

Well it doesn't really keep them away but they won't bother you... in a word... beer. Lots and lots of beer. I've been fishing the glades a long time and have yet to find anything more effective

[Gatorbassman]

Thermacell. I bought one three years ago and I don't hunt or fish without it in my boat. Turn it on and stop worrying. It's awesome.

[Nixstyx]

What I use, and I havn't seen it mentioned here yet is: Repel Permanone. The active ingredient is called permethrin. It's actually a semi-long term treatment for clothes. You don't spray it on your skin, you spray the clothes you will be fishing with, and then let them dry. The treatment lasts a couple months and even through a few washes. It really works too!

I've completely stopped using DEET, for several reasons. First, I'm a big believer that it turns off the bite, and I've read several articles that say fish can "smell" even trace amounts. Secondly, DEET degrades plastics and nylon. That means every time you thumb the spool you are degrading your mono line and lowering its breaking strength. I've seen it melt plastic or rubber reel handles, or even melt a hole right through a tackle box or bag if it spills. It's bad enough that Repel has even started marketing a new formula called "Sportsmen Gear Smart" that doesn't contain DEET that says it won't damage fishing line or synthetic clothes (implying that their DEET products will). DEET is nasty stuff, but it certainly does keep the bugs away.