On one trip to Blind Creek, Darin said my back looked like I was wearing a fur coat. I had put good repellant on all my exposed skin but was getting badly bitten through my clothes. Darin had no (zero, nada, zilch, none) mosquitoes on him and I was covered. He told me what to do and the next time we went, following his advice, I was bite free.
For exposed skin Deet (N. N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) has been the best defense for decades now, but it attacks plastics and can damage your glasses, some synthetic fabrics, plastic fishing lures, and inexpensive watch crystals, etc. It comes in many different strengths from a few percent to 100% Deet. No-see-ums do not like it either.
A newer chemical may be better for many of us, especially those who may have an allergy to Deet in the stronger packages. It is called Picaridin and comes in various strengths too (but I have not seen it anywhere near 100% and it works in the lighter percentages fine). The one I am using is 15% and I have and use another one that is 7%. Both work.
Picaridin will not damage plastics or other synthetic materials and does a really great job of repelling mosquitoes, chiggers, gnats, fleas, biting flies, and no-see-ums. Virtually all the companies that make Deet repellant also make and sell products with Picaridin.
Now for the clothes problem. Deet and Picaridin both repel the biting critters when applied to our skin. Neither seem to work when applied to anything else. However, there are some chemicals that do repel biting critters all by themselves, including lemon grass oil, citronella oil, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, Geraniol, and a few other plant extracts, but one of the simplest ways to make your fishing or camping clothes mosquito resistant(as Darin showed me) is to use simple fabric softener on your clothes. Yes! Mosquitoes do not like fabric softener. It can be the liquid you use at the end of your wash or even the inexpensive fabric softener sheets you put in the clothes dryer with your wet clothes. I have tried different brands and they all seem to work.
NOTE: No-see-ums will land on softener sheet protected clothes (in great numbers as I found out at our first tournament), but they can not "bite" you through even the thinnest of clothing. No-see-ums do not actually "bite" or "sting" you, but put their gastric juices on your skin and digest a small area and drink that. If you feel them, it is too late as the itch does not start until after the ones that got you leave. Yeah, it hurts and itches like crazy, so protect yourself. Even the thinnest of clothing protects you from them, but not mosquitoes that can stick their nose needles through cloth.
Mosquitoes and no-see-ums, etc., will not get you if your exposed skin is covered with Deet or Picaridin and fabric softener treated clothes (including your buff or scarf) covers the rest of you.
courtesy of David Andrews@ Kayak Fishing Club of The Palm Beaches
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