Midges ! ! ! !

[Andy_1984]

went up highlands last friday to sunday got there at 3am on the saturday went for a little sleep as it was to dark to see any steep slopes or dangers, around 3:30 there was enough light to check out where we decided to go my m8 was still asleep in the car so i get out and notice 2 fish moving around on the surface for about 2 minutes moving same direction like they were together "Synchronized swimming" bats swooping down near the water and getting all the little bugs owls hooting in the forest behind me and lots of fish jumping for flies in the deadly calm water. it was a very impressive and moving scene. 2 hours later The dreaded midge! opened up my maggot tub and it felt like thousands of midges where spread all over my face so i nick my m8's midge net while he was still asleep so all was well... or so it seemed. 5 minutes looking out into the loch with a serious feeling of contempt i look down at my hand and it was covered in millions of them. that was it i had to leave to a more open area with a bit more of a breeze so we found somewhere and caught absolutley nothing no pike no trout no salmon (salmon fishing was free) the closest i came to catching somthing was one little fish jumping around 2oz felt like wading over to it and tryin to get it in the waders oh and i had to get out in the loch on waders as the midges had caught up with us.

 

anyway im done ranting and i need some repellent i heard of one a while ago somthin like teetree oil or somthin like that

 

anyone got any stories of midges ruining your fishing weekend

[Alan Hammond]

I do not know if it is of any use but the shampoo I use on my dog lists one of its ingredients as Tea Tree oil. I am afraid that I do not know what a Tea Tree is, how they extract oil from it, or if it is any use as a midgie repellent. However it is probably worth a troll around Google to find out.

[Dick Dastardly]

I know what you mean mate!

 

First time I ever fished Italys River Po we went there in late July.As e found out it was far to hot during the day to fish so we did the bulk of our fishing at night.No sooner had the sun gone down and we would be coverec in millions of small black midges that seemed intent on eating us alive.

 

We must have looked a very strange sight indeed sat there in "mosi masks" with the boat littered with those burning mosi coil things!

[Elton]

I mentioned this site a week or so ago - may be of use:

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/News/midge_forcast_co_uk.html

[seph]

Interesting site that Elton, although I have never really been pestured that much. Only the odd time had I wished I had been better protected

[Andy_1984]

cheers elton. might come in handy

[Newt]

$4.00

 

RedHead® Bug Suit ($30-$35 depending on size in olive - more in camo)

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[Dick Dastardly]

The jackets what ive got Newt.Strange thing is that some years I seem to be bitten to death by them and other years left alone!

 

Worse than midges or mosi's though is one trip we did on the River Dyje in Czechoslovakia.We were camped on an old ox bow and it was alive with horse flies! now those did hurt when they got you! After three weeks there we both looked like something from The Elephant Man!

[Andrew Burgess]

What about using Jungle Formula in the Extra Strenght? Only £4.00 a bottle, I never leave out of my sight and always carry with me everytime I do go out fishing.

[Bob Bradford]

My observation of these pests is that some people seem to be eaten alive and others hardly touched by them!!!

 

Maybe it is something to do with what we eat?

 

My wife feeds our horse a Garlic supplement to fend off Horse flies and other flying pests, she swears by the stuff, although our poor horse has never been able to offer an opinion as her name is not Ed!!