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Kerr / Buggs Island Visitors Fishing Reports

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Kerr / Buggs Island Visitors Fishing Reports
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Snakes

Here's a question for all you regulars - this past weekend, I moved the dock out (we're near the tobacco patch) and stirred up a snake. This is the first I've seen in 3-4 years. It was about 2-3 feet long and probably about as big around as a nickel or quarter. Medium brown in color with darker spots. It took off into the water once it saw me, and we never saw it again the whole weekend. My neighbor said he saw one a few weeks back that he claims was a Water Moc and that he killed it. I need to find out what this snake was or else I'm pretty sure the little lady will never get back in (or even near) the water! Any help y'all can provide in identifying it will be appreciated.

-Pete

Re: Snakes

The snake as you decribed it is a water snake. The only mocassin in Va and NC are the cottonmouth. There are not suppose to be in our area. If the snake you saw had a orange belly, its a water snake. NOW, to me a snake is a snake and I, at times seem to hurt myself when I see them. Can't stand them. setter

Re: Snakes

It was just a water snake. Cotton mouth are mostly in the swamps. I would worry about him to much, just tell the wife that the biggest bass you ever saw came up and ate it. They are harmless, and are as scared of you as you are of them. I've seen them in ponds 4-5 ft. long big around as a baseball eating bullfrogs. I wouldn't worry about him, he thought he had a happy home now you done moved his hide out and he probally won't be back and like I said thier harmless so don't let him make ya hurt yourself. I was in my shed a few years back and reached down to pick up a bucket of nails and there was a 5 foot black snake in the bucket, kicked it over and he finally came out and left, another time in my shed one dropped out of the ceiling onto my back, yeah that was a gas, the last one I saw in my shed I literally butted heads with, I leaned over to get something off the shelf stood up and something clod hit my head, it was his head, I looked and he was all of 2 inches from my face . I looked at the snake I told him he need to get the f@#!! out of my shed, lord as my witness he turned around and crawled back out of the hole he had came in. Snakes aint that bad. I may be wrong but I read an article a while back on snakes and I don't think they have ever recorded death to 2 snake bit in the US in over 50-60 years. Now they have caused a lot of folks to hurt themselves but thats another story.

Re: Snakes

I'm betting this is what you saw:

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/herpcons/herps_of_NC/snakes/Ner_fas.html

It's completely harmless.

Re: Snakes

I agree. sounds like a water snake but be careful. there may not be cottonmouths in your area but there are copper heads.

Re: Snakes

I wouldn't disagree with those who have identified this snake, however on the topic of Cottonmouths. I have read that the only Cottonmouths on Kerr have been found in the far southern portions of NC. Apparently its too cold for them to frequent the VA portions. I'm wondering, with the mild winters we have had the past few years, has anyone seen any Cottonmouths near Occoneechee?

Re: Snakes

There are cotttonmouths in the area although it's been several years since I saw one. We saw a 4' grand daddy swimming across the river while trolling just below the US-1 bridge on the Gaston side of the dam and another near the Henderson Point ramps. I have photos of the Gaston snake but they're not digital or I'd be happy to post them. These were not common water snakes. Colored light similar to the one shown at the center top of this page:

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/herpcons/herps_of_NC/snakes/Agk_pis.html

I've also had a water snake try to come aboard over the transom while fishing under the old Clarksville bridge. The boarding party was repelled.

Re: Snakes

Unlike the earlier posts that says these snakes are banded water snakes, the ones I have seen in the area are northern water snakes. As far as I know no cottonmouths have been documented, as for the guys who say there saw them do us all a favor and turn it in to the state for documentation then we might start beliving you. One easy way to tell these guys apart, if it swims underwater or with its head only up it is harmless. Cottonmouths swim with entire body above the water. Also like all posionous snakes, vertical pupils and pit below eye.

Re: Snakes

I am no snake expert, but I live beside a swamp south of Rocky Mt. N.C. and both our cotton mouths and copper heads will seim on top underneath anyway they can in the water. Most of our copper heads are the same color as this fellow said he saw and by having hunting dogs getting bit in the pen almost every year by one, the vet says the small ones are more dangerous than the big ones. The small ones bite and release all the venom they have with their first bite. The adult copper heads release some and save some in case they have to defend themseleves after killing their pray. This came from a Vet and makes sense to me. I just avoid or kill any snakes I see except for a Green snake.

Re: Snakes

Ive lived on the lake all my life, and i agree it is hard to distinguish water snakes from moccasins (cottonmouth), but trust me, there are cottonmouth's on this lake, and there always will be. so be careful.

Re: Snakes

I've been fishing Kerr for almost 20 years and I've yet to see a Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin. I'm not saying they don't exist on the lake, just that I haven't seen any. My advice for anyone without a thorough knowledge of snakes - just avoid it. Better yet, do some research and learn to identify the poisonous ones. Being able to tell the difference will enable you to know exactly what to do when confronted with a snake. If your in a isolated location, let all snakes go about their merry business. If your in a residential area, kill poisonous snakes, but leave the non-poisonous ones alone (they eat rats, mice, and other unwanted varmits).

We only have four species of poisonous snakes in North America. Thy are the Rattlesnake, Cottonmouth Moccasin, Copperhead and Coral Snake. All these snakes are easily identifiable.

Re: Snakes

I am from the Pamlico Sound area of N.C. and growing up Water Snakes have round eyes and Water Mocs have oval eyes like a football. A CottonMouth Water Moc has white lips unlike a standard Water Moc. Also most people does not know the Eastern Diamond Back RattleSnake loves the water. When I was a kid one of the biggest EDBRSnake nwas killed in the Goose Creek area I have ever seen. It was approx. six feet long and as big as your forearm. It was killed in the edge of the water. All I know about snakes but the only good snake is a KING SNAKE! It eats other snakes!!!

Re: Snakes

had a neighbor at the lake two years ago who picked up what he thought was a water snake,well the thing bit him on the hand.5 minuts later he was on the way to the hp.his arm had swollen up all the way to his shoulder and started going to his chest.. Im not an exbert but a harmless water snake would not do that much damage

Re: Snakes

Granddad lived near Gaston most of his life and he and his friends have seen Cottonmouths. They are there.

About that snake trying to climb over the transom, I've heard of that happening before. One night I was out fishing and had some eels in a bucket for bait. There was a big one in there that day. So I'm driving around and it's pitch black out and I look down and see this huge snake crawling around my boat. Scared the living $HIT out of me! Shined my light on it and it turned out the big eel had gotten out of my bucket.

Re: Snakes

I was tied off between two trees up the Dan side two summers back and when I went to untie a 2.5-3ft snake dropped out of the tree into my boat. I bent two rod holders and bout broke my butt while that pee'd off snake thrashed around the boat until I was able to flip it out. I'm more careful now about what trees I tie off to. My heart was a-pumpin!

We see the northern water snake here in sight of the bridges a good bit. I grew up in Al with moccaisins and I can tell you the N Water snake makes a great imposter. Some of the ones up here have a head-shape that's triangular enough to make you swear its a moccaisin. We killed big one one in the yard last summer and I was able to inspect the roof of the mouth closely just to confirm for myself it wasn't a cottonmouth but from a distance...forget it I'm going the other way...jfo

Re: Snakes

I have seen this topic come up time and time again over the years at work, on TV, message boards and just in regular conversation. A Cottonmouth and a Water Moccasin as far as I know are one and the same. They are pit vipers which means they have a triangular-shaped head and are poisonous. Also, as someone else mentioned, look at the eye shape. 99.9999% of the snakes I see people around here call Moccasins or Cottonmouths here are common water snakes. If you ever see one open it's mouth, you will know exactly why they call them Cottonmouth, pure white in color. They are a short, stocky snake with a snubbed tail, rarely ever see one over 3.5-4 ft. long, but they can get as big around as a grown man's arm. The farthest North I have ever personally seen one is just outside of Greensboro. We used to live near a pond in Julian NC that had a spillway on one end and a dam at the other. They would lay on the spillway screen sunning waiting on an easy meal to swim by.

Re: Snakes

http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/snakes_of_virginia.htm
This web site will tell you what type of snakes are in VA and what part they are in.

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/NCSnakeBk/NCsnakebk.htm
This one is for NC

Re: Snakes

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/herpcons/herps_of_NC/snakes/snakes.html
Try this page for NC

Re: Re: Snakes

Moccasins are in our area believe me. I don't see many of them at all. I have seen one this year. It was sunning on a stump. I would estimate it to have been around 3 feet long. The bands were almost undistinguishable. It was the size of my forearm in the middle. Guys a moccasin will normally swim on top of the water and goes very slow with a wide bend.
The water snake is a speed merchant and mostly under water. Their path is almost straight it seems. I am not one to exaggerate. These I have seen are the real deal. Be careful with any wild creature.

Bo

ps A friend of mine was bitten by a copperhead a few
years ago. He had to have skin grafts the whole
nine yards.

Re: Snakes

It is a Northern Banded Water Snake I am nearly 99% sure. I use to live on the lakke there and that is the most common. When they get bigger some people think they are a copper head( brown with darker brown patches on its back but it does not have the hourglass like a copperhead) but put the two side by side you can see the difference. Just a water snake. Cotton mouths I have yet to see one in this area down east different story. Most of those two species are huge when 2 ft long their body is really thick like your forearm. Don't worry snakes are as scared of you as you are of them.

Re: Snakes

Scared of me, maybe, but I've never read about a snake dying from a human bite or even getting real sick .... Ha, ha!