On 2nd though, maybe I won't fish there

[Newt]

Had my dogs out for their daily run by the Choctawatchee (choc-ta-hat-chee) river this afternoon and with the weather turning nice (it was about 26C) I thought I'd look for a nice bit of bank so I could fish while they run around and chase each other and generally do doggy things.

 

This looked likely

 

Well, maybe not

 

 

I decided to give this fine fellow his space and looked for another spot.

[corydoras]

Any idea what kind of snake it is Newt? It looks like some species of rat snake, but I'm not at all sure.

 

Might be a brown water snake too. Hard to say.

Edited February 24, 2011 by corydoras

[corydoras]

Pantherophis spiloides I reckon. Harmless if I am correct, but I could do with a photo with stronger lighting to bring out the colours to be sure.

Edited February 24, 2011 by corydoras

[Newt]

Truthfully I have no clue what it is. The sun was sorta on the river side of the snake and no way to get where I had good lighting for the shot. This might be a little better. I diddled with the colour balance a bit.

 

 

The only dangerous snakes in this area are several rattlesnake species, water moccasin, copper head, and an occasional coral snake and that one is none of those unless you happen to be a small fish or a small rodent.

[Vagabond]

I had a similar experience (but a different species) when fishing the Rio Grande. Just where I could get down to the water, there amongst all the discarded wet clothing and inner-tubes left behind by DIY northbound visitors to Texas, was a huge snake. I found another swim......

 

Looked it up in a (not very good) field guide. It was one of the several species of Texas Water Snakes, non-poisonous, but (so the guide said, and the bit that impressed me) the larger ones eat rattlesnakes !

 

Pic here http://www.freesnake.com/water9.html

Scroll down to the third picture.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Vagabond

[Dick Dastardly]

Ugh shudder!

[j_s]

Bait!

 

I'd very quickly move on especially if my muts were with me as they'd likely have a go at if it came on land, the older dog when he was about 4 months old instantly went on the defensive when he saw an adder, he didn't go for it just stood his ground and growled and barked at it to let us know it was there . The younger dog is dumb and would get bitten, I have no doubt about that lol.

[corydoras]

Ugh shudder!

Your not scared of a little rat snake are you? The worst it could do is squirt you with smelly stuff. If it bit you it would be like getting mauled by a wooden clothes peg.

[corydoras]

Truthfully I have no clue what it is. The sun was sorta on the river side of the snake and no way to get where I had good lighting for the shot. This might be a little better. I diddled with the colour balance a bit.

 

 

The only dangerous snakes in this area are several rattlesnake species, water moccasin, copper head, and an occasional coral snake and that one is none of those unless you happen to be a small fish or a small rodent.

Definitely a rat snake Newt. Can't be sure of the exact species, it might be an Everglades Rat Snake but whatever it is it's not venomous. You'd probably get about $150 for him over here

[davedave]

I wish we got stuff like that over here, it would make fishing just that little bit more exciting if there was a chance of seeing a huge snake. The most interesting wildlife i ever see is a kingfisher or a water rat!