What bug spray won't ruin tiny perch plastics and light line — is DEET a problem for yellow perch fishing?
It is a problem for the tackle and probably for the bite. DEET is a plasticizer that softens and hazes monofilament, soft plastics, lure paint and sunglass frames; Keith Jones's Berkley research also found bass strongly repelled by it at about one part per million. Perch are untested, but they taste-check everything. Buy 20 % picaridin lotion or wipes, which leave plastics alone. Treat clothing with permethrin at home and let it dry — never at the water, where it is highly toxic to fish while wet. A Thermacell-type unit or a head net keeps your hands clean. Scale is what hurts perch anglers: light mono has no strength to spare if DEET weakens it, and a tiny plastic has so little material that one smear ruins it. You re-bait constantly, so every fingertip touch counts.
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More questions about Smell & Taste
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- Do scent products help for perch?
- Can sunscreen on my fingers stop yellow perch biting — which sunscreen should perch anglers buy?
- Should I glue small plastics onto perch jigs — which glue works and will yellow perch taste it?
Same topic, other species
- What glue keeps crappie tubes and jig bodies on the hook, and does glue smell turn crappie off? — Crappie
- Does scent on soft plastics really matter? — Largemouth Bass
- How do I repair torn muskie rubber baits and tooth-damaged wooden muskie lures — which glue holds? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- Will DEET bug spray hurt my pike lures, line and leaders — what repellent should pike anglers buy? — Northern Pike
- Does sunscreen on my hands scare smallmouth bass, and which sunscreen should I buy? — Smallmouth Bass
- Does DEET bug spray damage fly line and scare trout — what insect repellent should trout anglers use? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)
- What glue should I use on walleye jigs, paddletail plastics and crankbaits, and will the smell hurt the walleye bite? — Walleye