Black Fly Blues

“I went fly fishing Saturday and I was caught in the midst of a massive black fly hatch. The fish I caught were engorged with them. I neglected to bring my headnet so I used DEET on my hat and bandana around my neck and I was eaten alive. It didn't work at all. Today, I went to my eye doctor because I developed an infection from the bites around my eyes and he prescribed oral antibiotic and eyedrops. My eye got so bad my vision was blurred. He said if the infection progresses behind the eyes it can require hospitalization and IV antibiotics. I checked out a couple of websites and they said black flies are biting midges that inject venom when they bite. Some also said a sheet of dryer fabric softener can repel them. Anyone ever here of this? Be careful around black flies. I learned my lesson and a headnet is standard equipment from now on.”

“EEEK!! Get well soon, Rich. =:0

I have also heard that the dryer sheets work, but I have no first hand experience.

Black flies inject venom? hmmm, that's a new one to me, although it certainly feels like it when the lil baztadz bit me! buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......splat!!!

>;o)”

“Thanks AmyG. I think the brand that's supposed to work is called Trek.”

“Auntie Coosa swears by regular scented Bounce. Put it under your hat. Me--I don't know about black flies thank goodness.

I'm super sorry you got bit up. OUCH!!!”

“Oh I had them before! Ya got my sympathy RichB!”

“Sorry to hear about it man! We don't get Black Flies down here in Tennessee but I've heard their pretty bad little critters. Get well soon.”

“DEET is very good against black flies, but it needs to be very strong to confuse this type of bug. Repel makes a bug spray with a large % of DEET. The highest % you can get, the better. But as you increase it, you need to make sure that you wash yourself well when you're back in safety. It's irritating, but in areas with lots of black flies or mosquitos, I've gotten the best results spraying myself in the face. Just close your eyes and maybe even wear sunglasses while you spray it, and DON'T LICK YOUR LIPS. =)

get well”

“"...black flies are biting midgets..." ???

Black flies are the worst!”

“Fabric softener sheets have worked okay for me. Tie one around each wrist and one in my bandanna. Gotta be careful if you sweat as much as I do; the fabric softener stuff runs down my face along with sweat. I always carry a bugshirt with head net in New England in the spring and summer. It's been so bad sometimes that I've had to pull my pot and silver inside the shirt and eat behind netting. For the less voracious bugs, I ring the entrance of my tent, or ring myself when I'm out of it, with stick incense stuck in the ground. Smoke keeps 'em somewhat at bay. You can get pung sticks in batches of 600 for about a penny each from Vermont Country Store in Weston, VT, They have a catalog and most likely a web page.”

“I bring my skanky-a$$ girlfriend, and have her stand nearby. That way, the flies swarm her skanky-a$$, and leave me alone. LOL!

Hmmm...
infection? Bummer, guy.”

“gojo's method works.

that's why i bring wally hiking with me. i just make him stand "over there".”

“hmmmmmm... Is that why I was the only one who got eaten up in TN? My bites have dimished to dark circles now, a week later. Damn bugs!”

“Friends, these little son-of-a-buggers are brutal. The only reason I stayed on the stream for a while was because I was catching so many fish. This type of insect activity is what really jacks up the fish for flyfishing. Too bad it wasn't mayflies hatching instead of black flies. There were so many I could here them bouncing off my hat a bandana. I put 100% DEET on my clothing, but it really didn't seem to work. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and fled the scene. I'm going to try Steiny's suggestions plus a headnet if I ever get caught like that again. The swelling is starting to subside, but I have to get some courage back to face them again.”

“RichB, where were you fishing? (You don't have to give away any secret hot spots.) When I would fish trout in the U.P., the season was broken into two parts -- the week or so before black flies hatched -- and the rest of the season, which resumed after the black flies tailed off end of June. I just wasn't dedicated enough to walk into that mess.

We might have some frost here in the northwoods tonight. I hope it catches some of the first wave of bugs in the open (before they breed). On the plus side, the trilliums have begun carpeting the woods with their special blossoms.”

“Pekka, I was fishing on a small stream called Painter Creek in Northeast Pennsylvania about 10 miles behind my house. It's a wild trout stream that's a 3 mile hike in from any road. I use a 2 wt. 6.5 foot Orvis one ounce rod to fish it. It's really an accurate rod for small stream dry fly fishing. I feel like I could put a dry fly in a shot glass with this rod. I even use it to fish midges on this stream. I tie the flies myself and have it wired from fishing these streams over the years. This sport is addicting and there's always something to learn.”

“You know DEET will reek havoc on some synthetic clothing so watch what you put it on. It also works best when on the skin and not clothing. Avoid spraying into the face. Its best to spray hand or back of hands and then rub onto the face. Watch it around your fishing tackle also, lines, lures, etc.

Clothing can attract pesty flies and skeeters. I know from experience in AK. that skeeters love black.....anything. Do some investigating and find out what will work for you.

I knew a guy once that dangled corks to his wide brimmed hat. He hated DEET for good reason and Skin So Soft(the old stuff) he didn't trust. He said it work for him.

Tightly woven baggy long sleeve shirt and head net over a wide brimmed hat should work. Head nets screw with my vision so I much rather have DEET laden sweat trickling into my eyes. Don't give them anything to nibble on.”

“RichB, I read that the reason the black fly problem is getting really bad here is that the rivers, including the Delaware are much cleaner than they used to be. The black fly doesn't reproduce as well in polluted waterways. PA has started spraying to try to cut back the black flies. So we clean the pollution up just so we can spray pesticides. Sorry you got so chewed. I always get more bitten than any other in my group. Heavy garlic ingestion is supposed to help. I'm going to try the dryer sheets. I would have thought they would attract bugs, they smell perfumy.”

“"I always carry a bugshirt with head net in the spring and summer. It's been so bad sometimes that I've had to pull my pot and silver inside the shirt and eat behind netting."

Another reason to avoid summer hiking.”

“Another reason the hiking kilt is doomed.”

“RichB, a 2 weight! You must be very nimble to tie those itty bitty flies for that rod and line (sorta like casting with spider web isn't it?) Just right for those little creeks, too.

A few weeks ago at our paddle and trail club meeting, a guy showed his slides of the Barrens in NWT, along the Thelon River. No skeeters, just insanely dense clouds of black flies whenever the wind wasn't blowing hard across the tundra -- their food was covered with them, as well as their clothes and any bare skin. He wore a net bag in camp that his wife made from wedding veil material, very inexpensive, from JoAnne Fabrics.”

“Sounds like a really good day of fishing! I'm gonna hafta git one of dem nets too. I hate when they go up the nose. I've heard, and it does seem to work on the ball field that they'll head for the highest part of your body, so iff'm you raise you hand above your head, they'll leave your face alone. Not a very good practice when on a shallow stream with scitterish trout however.
Sounds like a sweet spot. (Sullivan Cty??????)”

“Wouldn't Permethrin work on the clothing? That's what it's designed for, but any observations on its effectiveness (or would I have SEEN that already!?)?”

“Pekka, The 2 wt. works really nice for flies smaller than 12 on down. I tie flies down to size 24 and have caught trout in these small streams on these small sizes when the black midges hatch. Not all midges bite and here in PA. we have cream, gray and black midges. This is some of the most challenging flyfishing. I wade out into the water with a fine net and collect and observe the insects coming down in the current. That and observation is how I select the fly to use. Presentation of the fly is very important not just fly selection. I have a friend I fish with that has a hard time catching fish with the same flies I select. The reason? His presentation is terrible. My 2 wt. can make a small artificial fly alight on the water exactly how the fish expects to see it. Of course you need the casting skills to do this, but when you do it right it's really a blast and especially rewarding with tiny flies. I always use barbless hooks and release all fish. They are my pals.”

“Corks dangling from a broad brimmed hat is an old Aussie bush trick. If I remember right, it's called a Swagman's Hat. The folks down under are cursed with all sorts of flies. In fact, when you see someone waving flies out of their face (a common occurrence) it's informally known as The Australian Salute.”

“And these BPers think they are gear ho's. Tell them about fly fishermen, RichB, LOL. You must have quite the arguments with yourself on what to spend your gear bucks on ... that sweet new Sage rod, Orvis reel, or that new tent or stove, oh heck, get 'em all ... I never took up fly fishing, don't have much luck with finesse moves like fly presentation, but I did work myself to ultra-light spinning gear, using 00 spinners and 4 lb. test. But I finally put it aside rather than torture the trout. Loved standing in a spring or fall stream setting, all alone, really focused on what's happening in that stream. Invigorating and calming at the same time. Got a lot of unused fishing gear in the basement, including the bamboo fly rod my wife inherited from her dad.”

“Pekka, You are right about the gear thing, but I can say I'm done buying flyfishing gear other than small things like fly tying materials, lines and leaders etc. Over the years I bought 4 Orvis rods and reels for any conditions I'm likely to see and I use them all every season. What's nice about Orvis rods is they have a 25 year warranty so I'm set since that's probably longer than I'll be around. They already replaced one broken rod for me. My first one ounce rod snapped near the ferrule. I never mind spending money on outdoor gear if I know I need it because it lasts so long and I use it so much. Heck, I don't do anything else for fun, but enjoy the outdoors so why not.”

“The first time I went fly fishing I was hooked. I spent a couple hours casting onto a pond with a guide named Ash who I had hired to teach me how to work the fancy rod and reel I had just purchased. After getting some of the basics down, we proceeded to a little bitty stream called Little Hunting Creek to apply the lessons for real. Ash tells me ?there?s trout feeding in that pool by that little waterfall. I couldn?t see any fish, but I took his word for it. ?Now tie on a gray nymph and try a roll cast right here? said Ash. My first cast into a trout stream landed in a tangled mess. What a disappointment. ?Now straighten your line, you?ve got a fish on.? What? A fish on? How could that be?I straightened the line and Ash was right: an actual trout had taken that little bit of gray fuzz clumsily thrown into the water. I brought the fish to the bank and unhooked him without removing him from the water (Ash?s instructions). The fish swam away, but I remained hooked.”

“Wow this thread just saved my butt - just this morning I was mulling over ideas with the kids for an improptu hike in the Catskills this weekend. I completely forgot about the black fly factor. There are certain mountains there, (Cornell for instance) that for some reason are just overrun with those "f"ing critters. The end of May or early June hikers can be seen running in all directions wildly flailing their arms to the point of collapse - then get devoured! The bf season's starting a little early this year cause of the hot weather we're having - I never would have thought about it if it weren't for this thread. Thanks!!!!

I'll probably still do it, but I'll pick the area more carefully and be fully prepared.”