I think we can all agree the late spring though summer is a swell time to be on the water. However, depending on where you fish and how much bushwhacking you’re doing, there are the downsides of ticks and Irving.

“Irving” was the childhood name we gave to poison ivy, AKA poison Irving, or, for those closest to him, Irving. A bad case of Irving was nothing to laugh about. (It still isn’t. I’ve had to get medical treatment twice as an adult for severe Irving outbreaks). But calling it Irving took a little of the edge off the itchy reality. I mention Irving because I will have an Irving rash on my body from now through most of the fall. I seem to contract it just by looking at it. As I write this, it’s on my torso, both legs, and both arms. At least it’s not on any nether parts, which is a kind of discomfort that can only be described as exquisitely cruel. I do my best to avoid it, but it’s become an unfortunate certainty. A good lather up with quality soap on water is the best defense once you’ve been exposed. I’ve used special “poison ivy soap,” but found I get the same results with Lever 2000. YMMV.

Then, there are ticks. I acquired five of these loathsome creatures last week in my garden. They weren’t nearly on me long enough to do any harm, but their ubiquity and disgusting nature makes even brushing them off a skeevy adventure. I’ve gotten in the habit of doing a tick check everywhere on my body when I come in from the river/field/woods. Another practice I started last year was treating my fishing shirts, pants, and hats with permethrin. You spray it on your clothes, let it dry, and it bonds to the fabric for six weeks or six washings.

Let’s all enjoy the great outdoors. But let’s be careful out there. Maybe next time, I’ll talk about sunscreen and bug spray.