Snake ! Chowan River 4th of July

Well me and the wife went without the grandsons, tired them out yesterday, shame us old folks just keep on goin & goin :) ............
The wife casts and into the tree it goes ( bobber) , I run the bow of the boat up to and into the tree, she dives in up to her waist....I caution her " Look out for snakes" about that time she says " THERE is a snake in there!" , shes backing out and I`m backin up ! She was within inches of that thing , water moccasin stretched out on a limb............
Photos taken AFTER the line was snapped , the bobber falls directly under him, we gave him the bobber :D
Caught a nice shellcracker and several small gills, lost a nice catfish , wife lost a gar.............
A 4th to remember :)

What I saw going into the tree...................

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k...ang7409018.jpg

After breaking the line...........

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k.../editsnake.jpg

Oh and the big cat I landed...........

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k...ang7409013.jpg

That looks to be a good sized snake--No No not fer me I do not like them things........... :eek:

Looks "snakey" in there for sure!:eek: Oughta be a great place for catching 'gills. Glad to see you hooked that cat on a Ugly Stick. I'm not sure any other rod woulda landed it.:eek::D:):D

Was it a cottonmouth or just a water snake, or did you get close enough to tell?

I see snake I'm the other way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that looks like one HUGH one

Fatman

Shoulda landed and et 'im. Hope you got the bobber back.

Was it a cottonmouth or just a water snake, or did you get close enough to tell?

No doubt in my mind that it is a moccassin ie cotton mouth........... we`ve seen several over the years, mostly in the water......... they swim on the surface unlike a "water" snake with just its head above water

Enlarged the photo , we were too close............

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k...7;202009/s.jpg

It's really hard to tell them apart, but I'd guess it's a banded water snake; a cottonmouth that long would be mature and black. Also, cottonmouths are (usually) more short and stumpy than banded water snakes. However, the banded water snakes, while not poisonous, are aggressive and will bite.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MaggiesMaster

It's really hard to tell them apart, but I'd guess it's a banded water snake; a cottonmouth that long would be mature and black. Also, cottonmouths are (usually) more short and stumpy than banded water snakes. However, the banded water snakes, while not poisonous, are aggressive and will bite.

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I was thinking the same thing. Not saying it couldn't be but from the picture I would say it was a Banded Water snake.

Don't matter. It's a snake. If you want a real good look at a cottonmouth for identifiction purposes, take a trip to Reelfoot this time of year. You'll get plenty oppoortunities at recognizing them up front and personal.

That's a cottonmouth, just look how fat the body is, it's almost as big as that tree branch. Cottonmouths come in different color variations, and they're stout bodied snakes like the one in the picture.

that looked like the one in battery compartment last week but definetly the one in boat was about 2 1/2 ft long at i mean fat. later and i dont care to see no more of them things

Pat that is a cotton Mouth. I ran into one the other day 5 feet long and as big around as my arm. I almost stepped on him and he coiled up and showed me the white of his mouth alright. I don't know how I did not see him as big as He was. He had the same markings as that snake You ran into brownish back with black markings with green/white belly with black markings. The only other snake We have that You see in the water is the orange belly water snake. He has a more deeper brown back and a blaze orange belly and is not poisonous but will bite the snot out of You. Pat and I live in the same area and these are the only 2 snakes that live around the water in our area. seen a black snake swim once and a rattlesnake but only once a piece in My lifetime. That cat Pat found in the bush is a normal occurrence when casting around limbs unfortunately.CF

I,ve seen several snakes in the water here, ( Wichita) but I don't know what they are. They are dark, small, and thin. I see lots of them in ponds, lakes and even the river. They swim with their head out of the water. I think they eat insects they will try to take a small dry fly. Any ideas?

thats a big ol' maccosin! i hate those things!

it almost looks like a python

i had a big snake latch on to a bass i had just reeled in as it was flopping half out of the water. it was not a water moc because we just dont have them up north here in massachusetts, as far as i know, but no matter it scared hell out of me. i had to whack it with a stick to get it to let go of my bass! saw plenty when i was living in texas though

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.