In SE VA if you see 24 snakes in say NW River, maybe, just maybe one of them will be a true water mocassin. This come from a local Herpetologist and I for the life of me can't remember his name. In all the years I have been fishing that river I can remember one definite. It was coiled up in the middle of the river like it was on dry land and when it opened its mouth you knew how they got their name cotton mouth.