I fished this loch for an hour in late evening on 23/5/18. There was a moderate East wind, and I restricted my casting to the south west corner. I landed 4 fish ranging from 2 to 8oz on a size 12 with a silver body, red tag tail and teal wing. On my way back to the road I stumbled and fell in the heather. On the following day I discovered that my legs were covered in lumps from tiny ticks, which my wife carefully removed.
I usually wear waterproof over-trousers which make it difficult for ticks to get a grip, but this time I was careless, and didn't wear them.
I spent two days and a night on the banks of Fionn Loch this June. The fishing was fantastic but I came back with over a dozen tick bites. I spend quite a lot of time in the hills but had only ever been bitten once before. Needless to say I'd think twice about wild camping up this way again, which is a shame.
I was up for a month in June 2018 and had no ticks at all which is unusal as spend 4 nights on the hill most years. I have stopped wearing shorts and gaiters which was my favoured atire as they kept crawling upwards!! I have some nasty scars where knives have been used to extract the enemy from some akward areas. But generally there are more ticks around than in the past 40 years and more deer up around Suilven. Just keep checking yourself regularly and don't forget that you have freckles which look like ticks after too much whisky
After a comparatively mild winter they are likely to be bad in 2019.
Tuck trousers into socks and shirts into trousers as the shirt/trouser and trouser/sock gap is the most likely place that they can get to you.
Check your dog for ticks after it has run in long grass or heather.
Local shops sell tick removal tools and it is sensible to carry one.
I hike and wild camp several weeks in tick season and taking the above precautions has worked for me.
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