Learn The Snakes

[Mobasser]

In my area of North Central Missouri, we have two venomous snakes. Copperheads, and timber rattlesnakes. The timber rattlesnakes are very seldom seen. I've only seen one in my lifetime. With all the rain we've been having, I've seen quite a few snakes on my bank fishing trips. The heavy spring rains flush these snakes out, and I always see more at this time of year.                At one small lake I fish, there's a guy I've seen fishing there with his son. Last time I saw him, he told me he won't fish this lake anymore, because it's infested with water moccasins. This is wrong, and what he's seeing are common dark colored water snakes. They're non venomous. We don't have water moccasins in this part of Missouri.                                       Black snakes are common  here also. They can get big, and look intimidating, but again, they're not venomous. Of course, any of these snakes will coil up, and possibly bite you if they're cornered or harassed. In all my years, this has never happened, and they always avoid any confrontation.                                  My conservation department puts out a pamphlet, which shows color detailed photos of all the snakes in the state.                         Just thought I might put this out there, especially for the bank fisherman here. Learn to identify the snakes in your area, and know which ones are venomous and non venomous. And, it goes without saying, watch where you walk in the tall grass.              Can you identify the snakes that live around your lakes?                          

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Mobasser said:

Can you identify the snakes that live around your lakes?

Only poisonous snake we have in MN is the timber rattler - and they're restricted to the bluffs and woods in the SE corner...never had one up here.

 

Did come across a copperhead one time hiking to a pond in NE when I was in the Air Force...but that was it.

[BrianMDTX]

I was turkey hunting once in Western Maryland in the Appalachians. I was cutting through an opening through some brush into a small open field when a timber rattler started rattling just by my foot. Man, did I jump!

 

I looked down at a 5’ long black snake that was vibrating its tail so fast in the dried leaves it sounded just like a rattlesnake. I had to laugh at that. 

[Tennessee Boy]

We’ve got 3,  Timber Rattlesnake,  Copperhead and  Cottonmouth.   I’ve had close encounters with all three over the years.  I caught a Copperhead on a trick worm a few years ago.  I don’t like any of them.

[ironbjorn]

I have this fight all the time in Illinois and Indiana. My friends think they are water moccasins. Nope. Harmless water snakes. Water moccasins don't live here (I'm sure it's at this point someone will show me on the map a teeny tiny itty bitty very far south corner where their territory *just* touches). I really wish they'd believe me.

[A-Jay]

Only One venomous snake in Michigan to my knowledge, the Massasauga Rattlesnake.

SUPER RARE, which is a good thing.  My wife and I came across one a while back.

We were bringing the Old town canoe out of Lake Minichuck in northern Michigan.

It was sunning itself on the dirt part of the two track and bolted as we approached.

I got a short video of it.

Sort of hard to see.

Made us a bit more vigilant in the future

but they are well camouflaged and pretty hard to see in any dense under growth.

Especially when it's not moving.

A-Jay

[Mobasser]

6 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Only One venomous snake in Michigan to my knowledge, the Massasauga Rattlesnake.

SUPER RARE, which is a good thing.  My wife and I came across one a while back.

We were bringing the Old town canoe out of Lake Minichuck in northern Michigan.

It was sunning itself on the dirt part of the two track and bolted as we approached.

I got a short video of it.

Sort of hard to see.

Made us a bit more vigilant in the future

but they are well camouflaged and pretty hard to see in any dense under growth.

Especially when it's not moving.

A-Jay

A-Jay, that snake is perfectly camouflaged. You could step right on him and not know he's there until he bites you. Glad he took off.

[IcatchDinks]

8 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Only One venomous snake in Michigan to my knowledge, the Massasauga Rattlesnake.

SUPER RARE, which is a good thing.

Came here to say this, but I'm glad you did, cuz I didn't have a cool video to share. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Yesterday I chopped up a rattlesnake with my weed eater. I didn’t know he was there until raking back the debris. The head was missing and I still haven’t found it. That’s bad. 

[Mobasser]

23 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Yesterday I chopped up a rattlesnake with my weed eater. I didn’t know he was there until raking back the debris. The head was missing and I still haven’t found it. That’s bad. 

Be careful. That could be some sort of an omen.

[casts_by_fly]

We have timber rattlers and copperheads here.  I've not seen either in NJ yet.  We get a LOT of eastern milk snakes here at the house (and some garter snakes).  We used to get a lot more when we had pavers for our back porch and they could get into the voids around them hunting.  Same with the tiny ring neck snakes which used to hunt salamanders and worms in the pavers.  Our woods behind the house are filled with rocks and voids so I'm surprised we don't get more of the poisonous snakes given how many chipmunks and mice are around.

 

I saw one in NY when we lived there.  It was mid summer and I was walking the dog in some WMA swampy/thicket.  We were heading out and I decided to take a shortcut walking along a chainlink fence that was securing a small pumping station because they weed wacked all around it.  We were creeping under the trees when I looked not 20' in front of us to see one sunning in an opening.  Solid 36" snake.  Fortunately that dog had good recall and we avoided the issue.  I definitely had to change my shorts when we got home.

 

Water snakes are everywhere around here at the lakes and ponds.  This part of NJ is very upland so swamps and damp areas everywhere so plenty of water snakes and their prey.  I thought one was going to climb in the boat yesterday.  It was a bigger one and avoided me as I went down the bank only to circle around behind me and start closing in on the stern.  It eventually left.  The biggest one I've ever seen in person was at a pond nearby.  A solid 36" snake and as big as my wrist at its thickest:

 

Baby milk, about 8".  They have tiny teeth and like to use them when threatened.  And everything threatens a baby snake.  

 

 

Adult milk snake ~(28")

 

 

Adult ring neck, about 12" (super docile)

 

[king fisher]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

 I caught a Copperhead on a trick worm a few years ago.  I don’t like any of them.

What color of Trick worm, what hook, how fast of retrieve, and how did it fight.

[Choporoz]

37 species of snakes in NC, 6 of which are venomous.  But somehow, every single snake that anyone ever sees, seems to have been a copperhead.  

 

They're like 8 pound bass....they only come out when there's no phones or cameras around 

[Munkin]

Copperheads are common around here in the woods as I ran into them when hunting. We have the Timber Rattler as well but I have only seen one in my life. Now the Northern water snake is everywhere and what people think are moccasins. These I leave alone unless they get aggressive then they die. 

 

Allen

[Jig Man]

In SW MO we have 3; copperhead, rattlesnake and cotton mouth.  We have copperheads scattered here and there around the farm.  We have a slough down by the creek that cotton mouths like so we don’t let kids go there.

[Tennessee Boy]

22 minutes ago, king fisher said:

What color of Trick worm, what hook, how fast of retrieve, and how did it fight.

I actually never hooked the snake.  I pulled him almost completely out of the water and he either would not or could not let go of the worm.  He didn't put up much of a fight but my buddy refused to net him so I never got him in the boat.  I decided to just cut the line and let him have the worm.    I even have pictures.

[DaubsNU1]

Rattlesnakes here in Nebraska...Shot the head off one when dove hunting back in college days...took it to campus and scared the crap out of some friends. Kept the rattles for years. Fun stuff.

 

Not so fun stuff: in high school, turkey hunting with my Dad and brother. Warm spring morning, I decided to take an afternoon nap down by a creek. Sprawled out on my back...noticed something didn't feel right...

 

Looked up...

 

And a snake was crawling RIGHT ACROSS MY CHEST!  Bout pooped myself. Threw the snake off. About 4 feet long and green, we determined it was a green racer snake. Not venomous.

[spartyon8]

49 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

37 species of snakes in NC, 6 of which are venomous.  But somehow, every single snake that anyone ever sees, seems to have been a copperhead.  

 

They're like 8 pound bass....they only come out when there's no phones or cameras around 

My dad has property atop a mountain ridge in Wilkesboro (we are from Illinois so yes, they are mountains!) and have seen 2 rattle snakes and too many copperheads to think about. I always hat hiking his property or clearing up his shooting range.

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I actually never hooked the snake.  I pulled him almost completely out of the water and he either would not or could not let go of the worm.  He didn't put up much of a fight but my buddy refused to net him so I never got him in the boat.  I decided to just cut the line and let him have the worm.    I even have pictures.

 

That's a watersnake.  The banding is wrong for a copperhead.  Copperheads will have skinny dark bands and wide light bands.  Water snakes will be the opposite as in your picture- wide dark bands and skinny light bands (hourglass shape).

[Tennessee Boy]

52 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

That's a watersnake.  The banding is wrong for a copperhead.  Copperheads will have skinny dark bands and wide light bands.  Water snakes will be the opposite as in your picture- wide dark bands and skinny light bands (hourglass shape).

The best way to identify a copperhead is by the distinctive dark hour glass pattern in its markings which I have circled in the photo below.  These markings are pretty clear in the photo I posted.  There are multiple species of copperheads.  The ones we have are Eastern Copperheads.

 

[TnRiver46]

I had a water snake that wouldn’t stop coming at my canoe on Sunday. I picked it up with my paddle and it took off like a bolt of lightning, pretty funny 

[geo g]

I fish the Florida Everglades and the surrounding canals,and man made lakes.  When bank fishing I see snakes almost every trip.  You are 100% correct, only a small number you have to worry about..  We have cottonmouths, pigmy rattlers, coral snakes, and pythons.  Most of the snakes I see are harmless water snakes.  But a 6 foot water snake in the weed line where you are fishing, will send alarms through your senses, until you see it's head.  At least once a month I will see a cottonmouth.  Thank God snakes including cottonmouths, are a big part of a gator's diet, and gators are like cockroaches in our waters.

[fin]

A lot of water snakes seem suicidal. I've had a bunch swim right up to me. They don't bother me, but they freak out most people and I'm sure a lot them get killed because they're curious.

 

Someone once said to me you can identify a copperhead by the Hershey's Kisses on its side. That's kind of a simple way to remember.

 

 

This is one I almost stepped on. I was standing where the blue square is. I looked down and saw it by my foot and then stepped way back and took this picture. It never moved the whole time.

 

A black racer was the only snake that's ever attacked me. Surprised the heck out of me. Made me jump like a little girl. I didn't know they did that. 😄

 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

6 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

I have this fight all the time in Illinois and Indiana. My friends think they are water moccasins. Nope. Harmless water snakes. Water moccasins don't live here (I'm sure it's at this point someone will show me on the map a teeny tiny itty bitty very far south corner where their territory *just* touches). I really wish they'd believe me.

Here you do

 

[Munkin]

6 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

I was turkey hunting once in Western Maryland in the Appalachians. I was cutting through an opening through some brush into a small open field when a timber rattler started rattling just by my foot. Man, did I jump!

 

I looked down at a 5’ long black snake that was vibrating its tail so fast in the dried leaves it sounded just like a rattlesnake. I had to laugh at that. 

 

Went turkey hunting when I was 15 with my stepfather in Smthsburg, MD. He was scared of snakes big time. I got to my spot and setup; he had about a mile to his spot further up this logging trail. After about 15 minutes I heard 3 shots from his direction a 2-minute pause then 3 more shots. No reason I could think of to have to re-load for 3 more shots so I went to see what up? When I got there you could see the bare spots on the ground from shotgun blasts. He ran into a black snake on the trail so he shot it 3 times with a 12 guage and just in case reloaded and shot it 3 more times. Not sure how big that snake was to start with but the biggest piece I found was about 2".

 

Allen