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Big Sandy deerflies?


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anyone had any recent experience w/ deerflies on Big Sandy? I spent this afternoon (unsucessfully) chasing these #@#$ things off myself and my kid while we were out on the pontoon.

Anyone have any repellent/tips that works for these buggers? Deep Woods off didnt seem to make a bit of difference. Made a beautiful day turn sour, and fast!

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A shotgun. grin.gif We had the same problem this weekend. I got bit right on the tip of toe frown.gif I use this fly spray stuff at home that I get from Tractor Supply, I'm not sure what it's called but it woks nice.

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Do a search on this site...I remember reading that some company makes a ball cap with a flap that has sticky stuff on it. The deer flies land and are done. I don't know what it does for the ankle biters and those that just buzz around you head and never land. The only other alternative is to wait for Labor Day weekend, for some reason, they are gone by then.

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It may not be the fashion statement one wants to make, but I have resorted to wearing mosquito netting. Keeps the little Bleeps off you but the still annoy you with their buzzing.

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Fished Mississippi last weekend, below GR, had same problem. We've found out as soon as you shut the motor off they dissapear. Don't know if noise or vibration attracts them. We would motor up a mile or so and drift down, only had a few flying around then. Like you said, repellants didn't deter them at all. One good thing, I think they chased away the mosquitos

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Try a product called "Cactus Juice" It isn't easy to find, but you can get it in a spray bottle or a small squeeze bottle. It seems to work pretty well. You need to reapply often, but it is sweet smelling so it really isn't a bother.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One thing i have found that always works for me is to take a small piece of cedar (like from cedar woodchips) and paperclip it under the bill of your hat. this always keeps them away from my head. and they dont seem to bother my legs, just my feet if i wear sandaqls, but i solved that by buying some of those fancy new water shoes/sandals

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I dont know where they all went but I was up last weekend and maybe saw 4 or 5 flies the whole weekend and I

was in the boat A LOT! We sat on the deck, we sat on the dock and really saw very few flies and just as few mosquitoes.

It was great!

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They were all over on the Big Sandy River Lake I think! My lower legs look like I have some horrible skin disease after getting bit while putzing thru the no wake zone on the pontoon! The deerflies had a feeding frenzy at that slow of a speed on me! Yikes it was horrible!

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thanks for everyone's responses. I found this stuff called Buggspray for Biting Flies at Ace Hardware (dont try looking at any of the big box retailers for anything - I did and came up empty). Seemed to work pretty good, no bites......but we still spent the day trying to keep'em off the kid anyway.

Aquarias, yeah I'm back on that river/channel. That must be their breeding area because it's HORRIBLE thru there. By the time we get out the main lake the boat is full of them!

We laid low the past couple of weekends. It sounds like the worse may be over (thanks MacGyv). At least I'll have 2 bottles of this stuff for next season!

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The greatest stuff ever! It actually works. Keeps the deer flies, horse flies and those annoying biting black flies off!

As well as Mosquitoes and ticks...It is called Sawyers Broad Spectrum. Follow the link

linky

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