Yeah, but loaded guns don't try to crawl in the boat with you!

Hmmmm? Snake in boat can't get much more stressful than that. I would do ANYTHING to keep one out. Buddy of mine asked what would happen if he caught one in a cast net. My answer was "balance on top outboard screaming like a girl". It would not be good for me to have a gun at that point. I would sink the boat cool pic. glad it was you and not me

Snakes are great, leave them alone and they will do the same. they help us out in alot of ways.

I truly understand the statement about the snake eating vermin, and these pics are really neat. However, contrary to other comments above, in a case like this where the sucker is definately poisonous, I can't help but think about some youngster running across that thing while waterskiing or swimming. I believe I'd think real hard about his location and the probability of some innocent getting nailed by him before I went on my way and left him alone. Unlike some of the people in PETA, I value a human life more than that of a snake! Besides, I think about how I'dl ike to be bassin' in a tube and come 'round a tree to find him facing me on the water? For Sure, That'd be enough to make me have to clean out my waders. Not to mention what would happen if he's tired of swimmin' and decides to climb aboard a belly boat with me. I sure as heck wouldn't shoot him on the water for fear of a ricochet, but I think I could figure another way to do him in before I move on. The next person to come upon him on the lake may not be so fortunate as to see him first. Besides, if what's been said above is correct, I'd just be helping some other poor God's creature find an easy meal for a change. Secondly, I just think about a real possiblity: how I would feel if I ignored the situation and let him go on about his business only to get home that night and hear on the 10 O'clock news that some child was snakebitten on the lake this afternoon while skiing. Don't think I could sleep too well in that situation.

Hmmm...rattlesnakes to control the ski population of Lewisville on the weekends by the dam. Brilliant!!! (grabs snake tongs and heads to Sweetwater,TX)

Good job leaving him alone Ryno. He is just fishing and cooling off too, why kill him? At the lease it is a different story, but on Choke (especially since it a state park) and other lakes, just let him be.
Snakes usually mind there own, varmints don't.
Snakes reproduce slowly, and bite only if threatened.
Rodents reproduce at warp speed, carry diseases, and go all through your stuff.

I don't care much for snakes, and sure as hell am not a PETA advocate, but all this kill, kill, kill talk really illustrates ignorance. If it is not around your area, let it be in it's area. Especailly in a boat, damn, you have 100+ HP and it slithers, not hard math there.

Let the peta insults began, but remember there is a difference from a outdoors enthusiast and a crazy peta nut, and I'm not the latter.

I would totally agree with you if the snake was in swimming or skiing area.
Although nobody would have any business what so ever swimming or skiing in the area this snakes was swimming.
There are literally thousands of stumps, and that end of the lake is full of Gators.
Choke Canyon is not a lake lice friendly lake, tons of timber everywhere.
Thank you though for your consideration for others.
\
Thanks for the Back up Hard Wired

Let me know when you go tube fishing out on Choke. I'll get my video camera setup just in time for that gator to show up and try to pick his teeth out of that rubber.

No really. Great picture of one of God's beautiful creatures that you just leave alone out in the wild. Even if I found it at my home, I'd still play with it a bit and then drive it back out into the wild to release it. Let's see, Snakeman rides in a Cobra? Yeah, I was once a reptile dealer and know how to handle nice poisonous snakes.

I have seen them on Falcon as well.

Better seeing them on the water than in your boat.

Scott

It's good to know that others have seen them on the water also.
Thanks for the replies guys.

Had one swim up to me on Joe Pool three years ago. Could not believe it.

Tell 'em jet fleas are tastier!!!

all snakes can swim

I have had several Cotton Mouths try to swim in the boat and I even had one jump out of a tree into my two man boat. We both bailed into the freezing water. Never seen a rattler on the water. Great pics.

hahaha, tube'n, those damn cotton mouths are fearless! they've chased our john boat on the river before and i thought i was the only one who had them fall out of trees into the boat! i hate 'em!

Range cubes in the boat? You got cows in the lake?

She's a beut

My Dad & I had a cottonmouth drop out of an old dead tree into our boat a few years ago when I was wrapping the bowline around a limb to do some crappie fishing. Dad went out over the transom & I went out over the bow. We spent the next twenty minutes or so trying to kill the thing with an oar over the gunnels while we were swimming around and around the boat. Dang snake kept coming toward us no matter which side of the boat we were on. We really had an uneasy feeling about either getting back into the boat with him, or letting him get into the water with us! Finally, another fisherman came by and wondered what the heck we were doing. After he picked us up in his boat, we pulled along side and were able to do a number on him from the relative safety of the second boat. Still haven't figured out exactly how we would have completed the task if the other guy hadn't come along to give us a hand. Definitely a day on the lake that I'll remember as long as I live!

There's a cove on Georgetown that we have named Rattlesnake Cove. A nice one was swimming around, found a tree in the middle of the cove and shimmied up it.

glad you let it go... one less pack rat today i am guessing

snakes are cold blooded and do not get in the water to cool off.

You do not find to many rattlers on the water. But notice how this is a non water snake and see how it floats on top of the water, while water snakes slither in the water with their head only exposed

happened to me once on falcon. Brother was leaning over the boat to take a pic with one of those disposable kodack cameras...guess he didn't realize how close he was until he dropped the camera from his face....he totall freaked..lol.

WOW!

Western Diamondback. The most common rattlesnake of Texas. Good find and nice pic.