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.

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!!!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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