On Feb 17, 6:25*am, "Larry L" wrote:
Last year in Montahoming was absolutely terrible for mosquitoes.

As *result I ended up buying a small bottle of 100% DEET and putting it in
my vest. * *Today as I set out to wash and reorganize said vest I found that
it had leaked, melted some of the nylon vest itself and mucked up the
outside of a big, expensive, C&F waterproof box as well as ruining a set of
small magnifiers I used to look at bugs and a couple other items

This is the second time over the years I've had insect repellant damage
fishing equipment

.... be aware

Growing up in Maine, I have learned about DEET. First of all, people
tend to overuse the stuff', slathering it on like its moisturizer.
Think of it as extremely toxic poison, because it IS. I always apply
it like this:

Roll up my sleeves, put down anything plastic.
Be near a water source (sink, puddle, etc)
Put 1-2 DROPS on my hand.
Wipe my hands together, spreading it over my palms
Wipe my (apparently dry) hands over the important spots: back of neck,
behind ears, around ear hole, back of hands, ankles. I NEVER put it on
my face or near my eyes.
Wash the palms of my hands carefully.

Imagine that is radioactive, and treat it accordingly.

Also, I NEVER keep liquid DEET in my vest. If I carry any at all, its
double-bagged in ziplocks, and stashed somewhere that I can find it if
I need it, like my glovebox.
In my vest, I keep a container of a DEET-based repellent stick. It
never leaks, you don't have to wash your hands after you use it, and
you can apply it carefully to where you need it. Likewise, I don't
paint myself like with a crayon...just one swipe across the ankles,
the back of the neck, behind and on top of the ears, and across the
back of each hand.


DEET is probably the most toxic substance sold over the counter in
pure form, and should be treated accordingly.

--riverman