# Snake defense?



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Yikes!


a couple weeks ago W2U was out in his raft with his boy at Minersville. They had a snake (gopher?) chase them out in the middle of the lake. I'm guessing the snake wanted in the boat.

I've had this happen at Minersville in the past. 

I was out fishing yesterday at Minersville, and saw two snakes while out on the water. The first didn't do anything, but sit there in the water as I paddled away. The second, however, was definitely coming after me! I saw it from a ways away, swimming hard for my pontoon. I had nothing with me to fend the serpent off. I started rowing hard! They snake fell in behind my pontoon, and it eventually gave up back in my wake.  There aren't many times that you say to yourself "I sure hope I don't hook a fish!".
That's when I decided I'd had enough for the day, and went home. It's creepy -- you're constantly looking over your shoulder waiting for an anaconda to take you out from behind! Ugh.



so, aside from just bailing off the pontoon and giving up your boat -- what the hell do you do to fend off a snake that wants to take over your ship??



(I don't know if this high water is worth the risk!!)


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Yikes indeed. I would surmise in that situation, anything available would be deputized to keep the serpent away. Rods, oars, nets, whatever. What kind of snake was it?


Many moons ago, while fishing Jordanelle in my tube, I ran into a rattler out on the water. Fortunately for me, it was already deceased. I briefly contemplated Texas rigging it and seeing if the bass liked the flavor of snake.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I don't want to fish Minersville anymore. 

That creeps me out, but I'm a big wuss. Gopher snakes look too much like rattlers for me to brush that off and not worry about it! But again, I'm a giant wuss. 

Oars would be your best line of defense there. 

What the crap are snakes doing out swimming in Minersville? They already have the advantage on land, now they're trying to take over our pontoon boats? Is this the serpent apocalypse?


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> I would surmise in that situation, anything available would be deputized to keep the serpent away. Rods, oars, nets, whatever.


I had both rods (floating / sinking) out at the time. I considered grabbing one. I also considered the net - but it is attached (fixed) to the rowing frame, and only would have given me about 4 feet of reach. I then thought of an oar, which would be perfect, but might prove problematic getting it our of the oarlock. but that's what I was going to try, had the serpent started gaining ground on me. Luckily, I've been using my Concept2 rowing machine for over 19 months now...I was winning this race!!



Catherder said:


> What kind of snake was it?


I'm no snake expert. I can usually identify a rattle snake - because, hey, they rattle! - and I know what a kingsnake looks like and that they are not poisonous like a coral snake. I even know what a rubber boa looks like.

But identifying a gopher vs garter vs ground vs rat....I have no idea. They're all just black mambas to me!!

I'm fine with snakes when I'm on land. But when I'm trapped on my pontoon? That's not a good situation....

Vanilla -- I'm pretty sure that the quickly rising water levels inundating all the shoreline vegetation are why we've seen these snakes on the water this year. It's been a lot of years since Minersville has been this high. I guess there is a downside to filling up the lake.


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

Judge or Governor with snake-shot .410 ammo lol.

I hate snakes.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

PBH said:


> I'm fine with snakes when I'm on land. But when I'm trapped on my pontoon? That's not a good situation....


Beg's the question... how often do you turn around to look directly behind you in case a snake is on fast approach in your blind spot?

Something to fret over next time you are on the water I guess... Maybe put some rear view mirrors on your 'toon? LOL...

-DallanC


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Beg's the question... how often do you turn around to look directly behind you in case a snake is on fast approach in your blind spot?
> 
> Something to fret over next time you are on the water I guess... Maybe put some rear view mirrors on your 'toon? LOL...
> 
> -DallanC





PBH said:


> -- you're constantly looking over your shoulder waiting for an anaconda to take you out from behind! Ugh.


About every 30 seconds. Which makes for a very un-relaxing day on the water.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

PBH said:


> About every 30 seconds. Which makes for a very un-relaxing day on the water.


No kidding. Maybe it's time for you guys to fish the Boulders instead.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

No good solution here. You just use what you have. Not excited to experience this dilemma for the first time. 

I've had to suddenly jump over too many pygmy faded rattlesnakes while desert hiking to count anymore. My heart takes a day to recover. 

Maybe it's time we only fished in groups of 3. 1 actively fishing while 2 guard the perimeter.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Woah... rattlesnakes in water are surprisingly fast






-DallanC


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

It seems to me the only honorable solution is to admit defeat and commit seppuku like a valiant fly fisherman.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Goodness Dallan! Are you trying to get me to never leave the house again?


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Be the first to start the trend of fly fishing out of a Zorb?


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## plottrunner (Apr 3, 2008)

Machete --- really long one :smile:


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I can see the headlines now:

Angler drowns after slicing float tube open while swinging machete at snake determined to board vessel.



I'll leave the machete at home.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

lol.. I've had these encounters a few times. I can usually out run them in my toon with oars but I had a good fight while in my tube with one on one occasion. Had to fight him off with my fins and rod.

What really bothers me are those dang dragon flies. Not the little damsels.. I'm talking the big azz purple B-52's! Those things are persistent!



.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Ever seen videos of dragon fly larvae eating? Good reason to be afraid of them.

Little Alien like creatures are ravenous.


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## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

I saw a video from a friend of a friend that's really big into bass fishing. They had a cougar swim up and try to board their boat somewhere in Arizona. I think I would rather have a Cougar chasing me in a lake than a rattler lol. We spent all Saturday night or rather Sunday morning fishing minersville in the dark trying to catch some wipers with the waxing moon out. The water was so murky and the fishing was super slow. My buddy is the only one who caught a fish but it was a decent wiper.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

PBH said:


> I'll leave the machete at home.


Doesn't carry a handgun while hunting. Won't carry a machete while float tube fishing. What are you? How have you survived in Southern Utah?


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## Slap That Quack (Mar 2, 2017)

One word machete!


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Evidently people on some continents use a "sjambok" for similar purposes. No sharp edge. It's like a plastic, flexible self defense baton. Might be hard to get a good hit from a pontoon but fits the bill. And cheap.

https://www.coldsteel.com/sjambok-42.html

And hey, a YouTube video shows it being used to dispatch a fake zombie head so it's got to be legit. &#129315;


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

ns450f said:


> The water was so murky and the fishing was super slow.


The water clarity has actually improved. I actually thought it was decent -- more of a green/brown tint than being murky.

fishing was slow again this week. I hooked up within 20 minutes of starting, then went about 3 hours never having another hit. I finally switched things up, and went with a floating line. I caught three (rainbows) before the snake chase. Then I was done.

Nice wiper. Jig? Fly? Rapala?


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## bossloader (Sep 11, 2007)

This should be removed due to creepiness


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Wait until we start having "meth Gators" like Tennessee &#128580;.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brie...ADfVysUHEjksXhnSXDVDzJaT7XxwAC90cuVvISzSQvW8s


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Fishing Corn Creek above Kanosh years ago, standing in the middle on the creek, look up and a big ol snake floating right towards me! Filled my waders with water and $$$t before hitting shore.


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## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

PBH said:


> ns450f said:
> 
> 
> > The water was so murky and the fishing was super slow.
> ...


It was actually an 8" white custom swimbait. My buddy caught the fish and knows more than I do about the swimbaits. All he is fishes is giant hand carved swimbaits that are really cool.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

ns450f said:


> . All he is fishes is giant hand carved swimbaits that are really cool.


Interesting. Seems like all i fish anymore are custom hand tied giant buggers that are really cool!

Maybe it's no coincidence that I'm seeing an increase in snakes!!


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Your design? 

I am years away from figuring out customized designs like that. Pretty wild.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

backcountry said:


> Your design?


No. I just copy other stuff i see on the interwebs.
they call this thing a gamechanger. They look really good in the water. Not so sure that fish like them..


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I have no idea what to recommend, but I will tell you the visual picture you painted made me laugh out loud! I think snakes are cool, but I certainly wouldn’t want one crawling around on a float tub with me! I’d be rowing like crazy! I wonder what spectators thought you were doing as your arms buzzed in circles and you hollered outloud while looking behind you every 10 seconds! :grin:


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

PBH said:


> Interesting. Seems like all i fish anymore are custom hand tied giant buggers that are really cool!
> 
> Maybe it's no coincidence that I'm seeing an increase in snakes!!


Cool fly!

You might get better results in Minersville though if you tie it to "match the hatch" and have it look like your tormenting serpents that chased you off the lake.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Cool fly? You’re joking, right? That thing is ugly.

No wonder the snakes are chasing PBH! Also, what is he doing in all those trees, bushes, and willows? That is why there are snakes in the water—idiots like him are scaring them out of the brush and into the water!


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

wyoming2utah said:


> Cool fly? You're joking, right? That thing is ugly.
> 
> No wonder the snakes are chasing PBH! Also, what is he doing in all those trees, bushes, and willows? That is why there are snakes in the water-idiots like him are scaring them out of the brush and into the water!


Couldn't have said it better myself, W2U. I couldn't have said it better myself!


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Vanilla said:


> Couldn't have said it better myself, W2U. I couldn't have said it better myself!


Nah, you guys are being way too hard on PHB. That fly is imaginative and maybe he was in the bushes because of a "call of nature". I want to see him tie a rattler and king snake pattern though. The Minersville fish would probably go bananas over them.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

If it catches fish it is a good fly.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Wait.... I'm not supposed to be casting sinking line from that far back in the brush. Don't y'all use ambush fishing as well?


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm on it Catherder.


Critter -- I haven't caught anything on those flies yet...

...but they sure look good in the water!


It's really awesome to see this much water in Minersville. It's been a long time since it's been this high. It isn't easy launching from some of our old launch places any more...


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

PBH said:


> Critter -- I haven't caught anything on those flies yet...
> 
> ...but they sure look good in the water


What is the materiel, craft fur?


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

nothing but hackle. Whiting Farms bugger pack -- badger dyed orange.
The tail on this one was just some saddle feathers. I made a couple others just using maribou for the tail.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I remember back when I was in Jr High school and my first attempts at tying a fly. They were a cross between a streamer and a parrot, they were huge. My brother in law just laughed at me when we took them fishing and I tied one of them onto my leader and tried a feeble cast with my first fly rod. 

It took a while but I finally caught a nice rainbow on one and then I caught a few more. I still have that fly somewhere but after a half dozen moves it is stored away where someone may find it after I am dead and they are going through all my stuff.


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