A Bug Bite That Changed the Way I Fish

From a very young age I accepted that mosquito bites were just part of fishing.

I didn’t like them, but they didn’t stop me from casting. Maybe it was genetics, or maybe it was how many times I’d been bitten starting at a young age, but for most of my life I barely reacted to bites at all. They’d show up for an hour, maybe two, and disappear. If I washed them with soap and water, they were gone immediately.

After the Spider Bite

Then in 2012, a spider bite changed that.

I woke up one morning with what looked like a small double-puncture bite on my lower leg. I don’t believe it was anything super-poisonous, just a typical house spider. It was pretty itchy but I didn’t think much of it. Within 24-hours, the entire area had erupted into angry, quarter-sized water blisters. A doctor at the urgent care office put me on heavy antibiotics and warned me I was likely an hour away from being admitted to the hospital with a strong possibility of sepsis. That was an eye-opener.

Unfortunately, that was also a new chapter in my outdoor life where bites don’t behave normally for me. Not just spider bites, all biting insects—mosquitos, flies, gnats, fire ants. They swell more than they should, almost always form a water blister, and itch ten times worse than they ever did before that spider bite. A couple more extra-bad reactions sent me back to urgent care before a dermatologist finally prescribed a topical steroid that I now keep on hand. If I catch a bite early, use the steroid, and don’t scratch it, I can usually avoid a doctor visit. If I don’t, it can get bad.

As an avid outdoorsman and dedicated fisherman, that experience permanently changed how I look at time on the water.

When Avoiding the Bite Becomes the Priority

OFF!® will be the Official Mosquito & Tick Repellent of MLF beginning in 2026 | MLF

So when Major League Fishing announced that OFF!® will become the Official Mosquito & Tick Repellent of MLF beginning in 2026, that hit close to home. That’s not just another sponsorship. That’s a practical addition to tournament fishing.

Tournament Fishing Is Prime Mosquito Territory

I know from personal experience tournament anglers spend long practice days, from before sunrise until after sunset—prime mosquito activity hours in prime mosquito habitat. And I know the fans who head to the docks to watch takeoff at events like REDCREST swat mosquitos for hours. And while for most, insect repellent is about avoiding annoying discomfort, for some of us, it’s about avoiding real medical consequences.

The partnership will bring OFF!® products to key 2026 events, including REDCREST, with on-site presence and integration across MLF platforms. It also coincides with the launch of OFF!® Deep Woods® MAX aerosol, a picaridin-based formula.

Protection Is Part of Preparation

For me, insect repellent stopped being optional 14 years ago. And if you’re unfortunate enough to experience the same reaction to insect bites that I do, you understand why simply avoiding the bite in the first place is one of the smartest decisions you’ll make all day on the water.