The flies and mosquitos are back

Well the good news is...fishing remains good. The bad news is...the mosquitos and biting flies are out in force. This evening, even with the wind blowing, the flies were pretty relentless. They like to hang down inside the boat just out of the wind and in the striking zone of ankles. They will bite right through socks and thin pants. Best defense...there really is none. There is no bug spray in the world that will keep them out of the boat. All you can really do is minimize their attack. When they are this bad, I usually wear camo pants (because that's all I ever wear at camp), rubber rain boots, and a light jacket or rain jacket (a hood is a plus). Bug spray that has at least 30 percent deet will definitely help. I also never head out fishing this time of year without my thermal cell (or 2). If you do not own one of these are, I highly recommend you pick one up. They are reusable and run on a small canister of butane. They will keep ALL flying insects out of your immediate permitter (about half the boat). So, I recommend each boat partner have their own. You will thank me later, I promise!! Mosquito coils also work, as do the citronella candles, but they are not nearly as safe to have in the boat (great for the porch and in the cabin).  Finally, try to keep your boat as clean as possible. Of course if fishing is as good as it was this evening (28 walleyes in 2.5 hours) that can be a tough task to keep up on...but a good problem to have.
 Because I know you are wondering...here are the sizes that I caught this evening...

15, 17, 18, 21, 15, 22, 12, 16, 13, 18, 16, 15, 15, 15, 17, 14, 16, 15, 14, 16, 12, 14, 13, 12, 15, 14, 15

All were caught on an 1/8 oz orange jig tipped with a nightcrawler or leech (about even tonight).

Finally, here are just a few things that came to mind that should also be on your packing list...

1) small plastic cooler (good for lunches or keeping bait cool and out of the sun)
2) sunscreen
3) Thermal cell
4) pliers and side cutters
5) Anchor (I never have enough for every boat)
6) Light or ultralight action rod (my favorite rod is a 5' ultralight. I have caught 27" walleyes and 40" pike on this rod).
7) Lightweight long sleeve shirt. (good for keeping bugs off and preventing sunburn)
8) Warm hat and gloves (the ride back to camp in the evening can be quite chilly, especially when you get to our narrows)
9) Rubber gloves (protect your hands from the sun and minimize drying them out and from fish cuts)
10) Leeches or nightcrawler (both have been excellent for the past month)