hi all,
i am new to this board and and also very new to fly fishing. i went fishing at frenchman's flat yesterday and had a good time.. caught only two fish but was able to practice with my fly rod..the only problem is those biting little black bugs. i now have some red welts on my hands.. any advice on what i can do to prevent this from happening next time ?
gloves or a certain kind of bug spray or rub that doesn't effect the fishing?
thanks for any help you can give me.
Eric

When the bugs are REALLY biting, sometimes you just have to bite back.

All seriousness aside, you can try any product containing DEET, like OFF (I prefer the "pineapple-mango" scented OFF; you might like the new "spring bouquet" variety). These products MIGHT work for you, there's no guarantee.

Those biting little blackflies are pretty much everywhere: San Gabriels, Ventura County ranges, the San Bernardino's -- I've been bitten in all of these places (and in some I won't mention here). For me, personally, NOTHING keeps the blackflies off of me. NOTHING. So, I just let 'em bite, and try to keep as much skin covered as possible. A headnet is nice, too (just don't try spitting when you're wearing it).

What I'm trying to say is that these creatures are a fact of life in the Southern California backcountry, and they're not going away, so learn to live with it.

LARiver and I did a trip last weekend (read about it here www.kompost.blogspot.com, the March 15th entry) and I'm still scratching at bites; my arms look like Keith Richards', or Courtney Love's, for goodness sake. But, really, to me it's a rather small price to pay for a lovely day out in the wildlands, where sky and mountain meet, and hummingbirds dance their ariel ballet over rushing streams, streams that seem to whisper my name over and over and over....sorry, I lost it there for a moment. Southern California springtimes have that effect on me...

FishBreaksWater

Those things are awful. They raise big, itchy, ugly welts on me. I use insect repellants containing as close to 100% DEET as possible. I've found it to be effective. The bugs might buzz around and even land sometimes, but I don't get bit. Just make certain you're not allergic to DEET -- some people are. The DEET on my hands doesn't seem to repel the fish; I don't think enough transfers onto the fly or leader for the fish to smell. Unfortunately, the first time my hands get wet the stuff washes off and the bugs are back onto my hands! Sometimes I just apply the DEET to my ears and cheeks and I wear sailing or cycling gloves -- the kind with the fingertips cut off.

I've never tried it myself, but I've heard that Avon "Skin-so-soft" hand lotion has something in it that repels insects. I'd like to have a first hand testimonial verifying this.

thanks guys for your input... i forgot to take my bike gloves and will not do that again. and i will go out and buy some deet...Fishbreakswater i really enjoyed reading your web site . makes me feel that i was standing right next to u fishing....again thanks for the good read..
Eric

i just started flyfishing late last year and so haven't had a lot of encounters with biting nasties but when i was in the tuolumne meadows area of yosemite late summer, i used this stuff i picked up in my sporting goods store. it's made by 3M and called Ultrathon Insect repellent. worked very well with the mosquitos i met. i don't see any mention of DEET being an ingredient though.

eric
fresno, ca.

Folks--

Be aware that DEET can attack and degrade the material out of which many fly lines are made. Or so I've heard. So there's a catch-22 here: You have to rub it on with your hands, then you have to get it off your hands.

--Bud

This thread is a riot. I was recently asking myself why there aren't more discussions about the bugs. I personally have never encountered worse than those near Frenchman's Flat. Makes me wonder about those families that go there to BBQ and fish for planters. I don't want to imagine some toddler that's been hit by these mini vampires. Deet has not worked for me. I think a lot of it has to do with the scent a person gives off. I have seen them increase their activity significantly when I got a cut or votingmachines. Are there any smokers out there? Having a lit cigarette might help ward of insects. I think clothing is the best solution. Long sleeves, hat, mesh mask, gloves and a suit of armor and you'll be fine lol. It does seem that they really kick in hard as soon as the weather warms up.

Here's the lowdown (unless I am mistaken but I think these are the ones)http://www.lawestvector.org/black_flies.htm

For areas like Piru near Frenchman's I am giving serious thought to limiting my fishing on that stream to the colder months. The little welts that those black flies create will scar if you scratch and aggrivate them. I have to treat them like wounds (small bandages and antiseptic chart). Blech!

i'll be at the spff free fly fishing class at reseda high this sat...i'll ask a question about those little black bugs . see what they say. i am happy that i am finally beginning to learn how to fly fish...
again thanks for the info...
Eric
p/s i'll make sure to ask if the deet does effect the fly line!!!

Interesting link, LARiver.

Wow -- so these blackflies "slash" rather than "siphon" our pristine, gonahorrea-free blood. I find that SO WEIRD, because, the first time I encountered blackflies (on the East Fork, San Gabriel River near the Bridge To Nowhere), sure, they buzzed around and generally made me feel a little less like laughing, but I couldn't FEEL them actually biting me, so I ignored them. I had a great weekend -- the 5.something Big Bear earthquake happened that same weekend, and I remember waking up in my tent from the shaking (it happened around 3:00AM if I recall), and hearing rocks fall around the gorge. I find earthquakes oddly uplifting, a refreshing change from the boring, static landmass upon which I usually find myself standing.

Anyway, "Harmless little gnats" is what the voice inside of the head of the little man inside of my head kept saying.

Then, a couple of days later, the 'invisible' bites started to itch. And, in the manner of millions of living beings before me, I began to scratch. And scratch. Then a scratched a little more. Then I started scratching the scratches. Then I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on and so on and so on. Within days, I was a virtual walking open sore, a bloody stool on legs, oozing clear fluids and blood from dozens of funny places (under the left testicle, anyone? Okay, how about behind my right earlobe? You think I'm joking).

I learned my lesson. My last fishing trip with LARiver resulted in approximately a dozen nasty bites (or should I say 'slashes'?). I consider that quite reasonable; these are numbers I feel my grandmother could live with (assuming my grandmother could hop on a mountain bike and travel several miles into the remote backcountry, then fish her skinny-old fiscalpolicy off all day).

Thanks for the kind words Eric, I'm glad you enjoyed the story. The experience was sublime.

FishBreaksWater

This thread bites.

FishBreaksWater

Thought I might add my two cents here.

About 20 years ago I was fishing rush creek in the June Lake loop. The mosquitos were fierce!!! I had just got out of the Marine Corp and had several bottles of Jungle Juice ( Read pure DEET). I think it is the same stuff that you can get today over the counter. Anyway I had applied a liberal amount to my mug and then continued to fish. TO MY HORROR THE FLY LINE MELTED IN MY HAND. It ruined it. Felt like gravel running through the guides, or better yet, frozen water on the line if you know what that feels like.

Needless to say I'm more carful now, and have had no problems since.

Just a word of warning

Jimbo

The convenience of Piru had me succumb to the need to cast a fly the other day. To avoid traffic and those biting flies, I left home (Santa Monica) at 5 AM to fish a half day. I was on the water before the sun was up. I keep swearing that Piru is OVER for me for the season (as it warms). Starting to see loads more algae and activity from warm-water stuff like bullfrogs and green sunfish. Well, the trout gods slapped me in the face (see photo). Incidentally, the biting flies are much more manageable in the early AM. I only got one bite from a fly but I got a lot of bites on my flies!


*** Piru Creek 04.07.04 - dawn patrol - RELEASED **

This fish was so silvery that even in the morning shade my camera distorted from the glare. That and I may have gotten it dunked too many times on my various treks.

NOW I think I can say goodbye to Piru 'till next winter/spring - famous last words

You may want to cover up and use bug spray after reading this.

http://www.worldwaterday.org/2001/disease/oncho.html

Anthony

That's scary. No more fly fishing in Arabia for me.

Frenchmans is the WORST for those damn bugs! At first I thought it would be like mosquitoes. gut they kept itching for at least two weeks! I can't recall being bit/slashed by those things anywhere else-Sespe, East Fork, West Fork, anywhere. Wear longsleeves, and a hat, spray your clothes with the deet, especially the hat, it'll keep the bugs from landing.