Met an interesting fishing buddy yesterday...

[zedd]

This little guy was on a pond in a Dallas County, Coppell, Texas pond. Just a friendly reminder to watch yer step out there folks.

[fishgutz]

Yep.....they are out there....I'm always a little leery every time I have to bank and take a leak. I try to make as much noise as possible and watch closely

[Mojo227]

Guess you havnt figured out how useful an empty gatorade bottle is yet!

[El Pescador04]

Thats when a paddle becomes a great weapon!!! Lol

[SmilinJoe]

WHOLLY SHITAKE!!! He looks HUGE!! I don't like snakes and I especially don't like large snakes.

[larry long shadows]

ck this one out on a deck in Conroe

[Jigawatt]

Notice how the whole snake floats in the top photos, classic pit viper swimming - nonvenomous water snakes usually sink in the back end. The snake on the planks is a diamondback water snake, bite you even quicker than the cottonmouth.

[Finn Maccumhail]

Notice how the whole snake floats in the top photos, classic pit viper swimming - nonvenomous water snakes usually sink in the back end. The snake on the planks is a diamondback water snake, bite you even quicker than the cottonmouth.

Yeah, diamondback water snakes have a nasty temperment fortunately they're non-venomous. Never seen one that red-brown before though

[sir yakalot]

that's it.......note to self when packing fishing gear throw in .40cal

[Chief Brody]

I'm not so sure about the id on the pier snake -

but the pic of the cottonmouth is excellent. thanks

[zedd]

Thanks folks, I wish I could have got my camera ready just a few seconds earlier. This picture he was about 7 feet away, but when I bumped into him, literally, I noticed he was just 3 feet in front of my kayak. The floating on the surface was a classic, but even better, he reared his head up (or her, known some woman that were mean as a cottonmouth) like a cobra, flaired his neck out. It would have been a fantastic photo. I actually poked him with my fly rod. He was not impressed with my bravado. The picture where he looks like an alligator tail, he actually looked that big live. Biggest cottonmouth I ever saw.

[fishinmachine]

Nice photos, folks! Here is one of a cottonmouth that my son and I watched swim across a creek we were bankfishing last Saturday. We see many Nerodia(water snakes) for each cottonmouth. We crept up for a closer look and a photo or two...sorry, but I don't have a zoom function on my old Iphone. Cool critters.



FM

[Saltwater Assasin]

Anybody ever have one attack a kayak? I see snakes all the time and always keep a watch full eye on them.

[SmilinJoe]

My wife and some friends were out at Lady bird Lake in Austin and had a snake stalk them. I wasn't there so I don't know what kind of snake it was. Someone told them snakes can't bite underwater, I don't believe that.

[hipshot]

"Someone told them snakes can't bite underwater"

They can.

[Finn Maccumhail]

Nice photos, folks! Here is one of a cottonmouth that my son and I watched swim across a creek we were bankfishing last Saturday. We see many Nerodia(water snakes) for each cottonmouth. We crept up for a closer look and a photo or two...sorry, but I don't have a zoom function on my old Iphone. Cool critters.



FM

You sure that's a cottonmouth? Hard to tell from that photo but it doesn't look like the head shape is correct. I could be wrong as the head/neck junction is obscured by the grass.

[fishinmachine]

Yes...elliptical pupils, heat-sensing pit in front of the eye, eyes on the side of the head, large scales on the top of a flat head, etc.
We were about 20 yards away from the spot where it swam across the creek, and I could tell by the way it swam that it wasn't one of the usual Nerodia species we see there. So we went over to find it for a closer look. Image was from my first-generation iPhone shot at about 2 1/2 feet. No zoom on the phone, so my eyes could see more than the image reveals.
Have never had any snakes pursue me on the ground or in the kayak. If they've been coming towards me it's been because they happened to be heading my way and didn't know I was there. We saw a cottonmouth near this area on Lake Grapevine last spring while wading along a flooded trail near the lake. The cottonmouth came swimming along the trail in the opposite direction we were wading, right toward us. When it finally approached to about 3 feet it stopped for a moment, then turned and shot off back down the trail. We regularly spook water snakes(Nerodia) from the branches of overhanging trees near our favorite creek bankfishing spots. Sometimes they swim back up for a look every few minutes to see if we're still around their favorite spot. Seems like all the snakes don't want to be around us any more than we want to be around them.

FM

[Chief Brody]

I'm not so sure about the id on the pier snake -

but the pic of the cottonmouth is excellent. thanks

is quoting myself narcissistic?

anyway - id on the orange snake confirmed (as much as can be done from a picture) as a diamond back water snake. Strange coloration - could be muddy too - but according to my sources that is what it is.

[Chief Brody]

Nice photos, folks! Here is one of a cottonmouth that my son and I watched swim across a creek we were bankfishing last Saturday. We see many Nerodia(water snakes) for each cottonmouth. We crept up for a closer look and a photo or two...sorry, but I don't have a zoom function on my old Iphone. Cool critters.



FM

cool pic and good story. I trust your eyes better than what can be seen on the photo - but I too would have questioned the id based just on the pic. Thanks for posting.

[Chief Brody]

My wife and some friends were out at Lady bird Lake in Austin and had a snake stalk them. I wasn't there so I don't know what kind of snake it was. Someone told them snakes can't bite underwater, I don't believe that.

Could have been one of any number of the super aggressive water snakes stalking them - they are known to silently follow until one of the kayakers hang their feet over the edge, then swim up fast and bite. It's a learned behavior, they got it from watching sharks...

[zedd]

I was fishing one of my favorite spots last year when I bumped into a husband, wife, and three kids. (ruined the fishing). I gave my regular precaution about the potential cottonmouths and the husband said in a deep voice full of confidence, and I quote, "ahhh, know all about 'em, I'm a survivalist." Ok, whatever a 'survivalist' is... We continue walking through the creek toward the trail when one of the kids says, look pa, two snakes on the side of the cliff! Pa says, "Cool" and grabs a two foot long twig, scales the cliff about 15 feet up. I mumble something to myself about aggressive water snakes and the wife hears and starts nagging Pa to be careful, they can be aggressive. Pa says, "aaahh, no big deal. I'm lots bigger'n him, he won't eat much, ha, ha, ha." The snakes senses his presence rears up. Pa pokes it with his stick and the snake literally jumps almost three feet off the cliff into the shrub he's holding onto. Pa let's out the highest pitch girlie little squeal and falls off the cliff into the creek. Ma is b*****n him out and I am laughing my butt off. Ok, I'm howling in laughter. Give Pa credit where credit is due, he owed as how he deserved to be laughed at. I have to admit, IF I were stupid enough to poke a snake on the side of a cliff and it jumped out at me, I'd let out a girlish squeal too.

[DSmithla]

My wife and some friends were out at Lady bird Lake in Austin and had a snake stalk them. I wasn't there so I don't know what kind of snake it was. Someone told them snakes can't bite underwater, I don't believe that.

Could have been one of any number of the super aggressive water snakes stalking them - they are known to silently follow until one of the kayakers hang their feet over the edge, then swim up fast and bite. It's a learned behavior, they got it from watching sharks...

Gotta love Shark Week.