Anyone willing to share your best strategies for dealing with annoying ankle biters while paddling? Seems that no matter when I go, they will find me and chew up my ankles in the front of the canoe!

Tuck your pants into your socks.

Mike

I do the above and wear thick wool socks.

I wear tick gators for the bugs and ticks.
Lyme Ez Tick Gators

I usually wear long pants treated with permethrin to help with the bugs. Less exposed skin usually helps. If they are getting into your pants then longer socks or tucking your pants into your socks helps.

I wear shorts most of the time when I'm paddling. Uncle Ben's Tick and Insect Repellent (100% DEET) keeps the ankle biting flies away. If you don't want it on your legs, spraying a little on the sides of the canoe near your feet helps some.

I used to wear shorts and sandals with bug spray. Then I put socks on and sandals with bug spray. Then I wised up: long pants, socks, and boots. Even so, those buggers will sometimes crawl up your legs under your pants and get ya!

I would prefer to paddle in shorts and bare feet. But stable flies invalidated that set-up. My long camping pants are about two inches longer than what I would normally wear for a long pant. My camping shoe is a mid high cut. So the slack gathers around the boot while I'm sitting in the canoe instead of riding up my lower calf. Thus, no exposed skin.

When stable flies are on the light side, I may revert to shorts and bare feet. But I also have a fly swatter handy.

I have had ok luck with picaridin for stable flies. Not as effective as you would want- but it certainly is better than nothing.
It's the only repellent that comes close to working on those devils that I know of.

I double sock....they bite thru single socks.

thick socks bug spray

Lots of cursing.

A1t2o: "I usually wear long pants treated with permethrin to help with the bugs. Less exposed skin usually helps. If they are getting into your pants then longer socks or tucking your pants into your socks helps."

+1