Water Moccasin boarded my boat yesterday, [censored]

Had an 8 foot Moccasin swim at my boat yesterday. I put the trolling motor on 5, then 10. My buddy in the back hit the surface of the water with his rod tip to scare it away. It came at us faster now and we started the engine and started driving but it had already curled up in the little splash well thing between the batteries and the motor. Then it started to come out onto the deck and my buddy used to butt of his flipping stick to fling it overboard and it swam away. It was terrifying. What happened to 'you leave them alone and they leave you alone'? Has anyone had this experience? It was like it had rabies or something. Biggest snake I've ever seen. I might start bringing a net with a long handle in case this happens again. The only thing that makes sense is maybe when my buddy splashed the water with his rod it actually attracted the snake, like a dying rodent or something.

Were you all c rigging chicken nuggets?

If it was that big it was probably not a moccasin. If a land snake it was seeking refuge on the boat.

Hmm, never seen a moccasin do that. Diamondback water snakes do that all the time though. Have had it happen several times.

Probably this. Typical adult moccasin are about 3'-4'. They are more short and fat. Usually dark green/black in color.

Either way I wouldnt want them in the boat.

You missed a chance at an awesome video. Instead of Snakes on a Plane it would be Snake on a Boat.

Not a moccasin they dont typically get that big.

But I thought all snakes in the water were water moccasins...lol

I was in South Carolina few years ago saw this snake get in this fellow's boat he got shook up and shot 4 holes in his floor never did hit the snake.

That gives me the eebie jeebies just reading your post. All snakes are deadly ones and deserve to die. I've broke many a rod tip on aggressive snakes charging the boat.

herpetophobia, fear of reptiles and/or amphibians,
the abnormal fear of snakes

World Record right there boys!!!

Now tell us a fish story!

Are you sure it wasn't a king cobra?

I had a few fall in my old aluminum 12 foot boat out of trees but never any in my big Skeeter. No Moccasins though just what I call water snakes. Mine were not the poisonous type. I agree a cotton mouth is what I call a moccasin but they are usually shorter n very thicker bodied snakes.

Did you throw your tampon at it. Just a harmless water snake.

Had one climb in my boat while night fishing. Sounded like a women's
tennis match when swatting it with a 330$ GLX.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH6E_xBqbGU

a buddy and I were fishing on Falcon lake this past March when we encountered one of the most aggressive snakes I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with while fishing....apparently it was snake breeding season down there because we had seen  several flooded trees with multiple snake orgys going on.....
not sure what triggered this snake to try to get in the boat....maybe he thought my red Ranger boat was a traveling snake whorehouse but when I spotted him he was headed for the back of our boat and when he got within reach,I took a swipe at him with my 7ft fishing rod....and that's where the problems began....I was fishing with a C-rig which had a one ounce weight and a three ft.leader then a hook and small plastic fluke as bait.....somehow when I took a whack at the snake,I managed to hook the snake in his mid section....by the time the video starts,I had already been battling with this snake 2-3 minutes and trying to figure out a way to cut my leader line without losing my weight swivel,beads etc that go with a C-rig and not get snake-bit.......
thought for sure when I cut the line,the snake would leave but not this snake....and...a 1 ounce weight  on end of 7 ft rod makes a pretty formidable "whacking stick"....as you can see on the video,I dealt that snake some pretty good licks and he never did give up on coming onboard....fortunately we were able to get away from him because my MK trolling motor was just a little faster than the snake could swim.....
I'm told this is a water snake common in this area but at the time,I wasn't sure if this snake was venomous or not which made the whole episode a little more exciting.....

Just in case you were wondering, swatting at a snake with a spook is a bad idea when one is trying to board. He was none too pleased to have all 3 hooks embedded in him. I had to bring him on board, get him unhooked, and toss him over the side. Luckily I was alone and not afraid of snakes.

I'm with you Tom. The only good snake is a DEAD one!!

Funny. Had an eastern hognose swim up to the boat while on Whitney. My buddy said "Dude, that's a cobra!" I died lol.

Should've hit him with your purse...

Lol yep Men who are scared of snakes make me laugh... I just don't get the fear lol

try this

Unless it was a monster moccasin.

Uncle taught me how to, when wade fishing the old alligator and bar ditch
lakes in the Neches river bottom as a kid, to just let them get to within 8 feet then whap them in the neck with your rod tip and break their spine. They thrash around something awful which is a joy to see, since if you miss then the be coming for thee. Thats when things get interesting and rods get broken.

The reason we waited until they got to within 8 feet is because we had six foot rods. Do tha math.

My brother & I were fishing on Joe Poole several years ago. We had just left the marina, gone under the bridge & started on the cove on the right that has that great creek channel that y's off. To get to that spot, we had to go under 2 huge trees, one on each side of the creek channel that had grown together to form a low arch - we actually had to duck a little bit to get under it. About halfway through, the biggest water snake I had ever seen dropped out of that tree onto the front deck of my Ranger.

Of course at the time, I wasn't sure if it was ole Cotton Mouth or not since it was such a surprise. We finally got it out of the boat with rod butts, but the damn think kept climbing up the transom. By the time we got it to leave us alone, we had trashed that area with the yelling, splashing & banging. My brothers said he wasn't sure if I was cussing because I was saying stuff he had never heard before. This would have been an epic video.

Some funny stuff. Don't get the extreme anxiety that snakes bring to some folks. You would probably be more likely to be injured by a puppy jumping into the boat with you.

I'm more scared of bees than I am snakes. I hate those damn things lol

Just love seeing that green Falcon water. Reminds me it's been too long.

Was at a lab Thursday to get an MRI... Girl walks in with a python around her neck (pet snake). There was a guy sitting in the corner that tried to climb the wall just because the snake was in the room. Apparently the fear of snakes is quite prevalent, not just in this forum!

Yes it is. I remember going on a call years ago about a snake in a house. There were at least 10 people in the room looking. I found it and picked it up and the time it took to turn around, every one of them had cleared the house.

Saw a five foot diamondback swimming across a big cove. My idiot partner made a cast at it with a Zara Spook and hooked it. After he had reeled it about halfway to the boat I said he better stop and think about what he was doing. We started the big motor and planed out about 200 yards before the serpent came off.

NO such think as an 8 foot water moccasin.

all snakes are good just some of them will bite you and get you sick. 99% of the snakes you see are harmless in the city. Go out west and you will see some rattlesnakes.

I'm scared of snakes... I must be a girl or wear a flatbill.

That's been on my mind wading the bay. I'm used to sharks taking your fish off the stringer, crabs grabbing a hold of your knee (first time that happens you'll make interesting noises), watching out for sting rays, jelly fish, porpoises blowing 10' behind you, unknown somethings bumping your shins and thighs, whatever.

I've seen pics and videos of some full grown rattlers swimming the bays. I have no idea what I'd do if one decided he wanted to use me as a "get out of the water" tool. I'm pretty sure I can't run faster in chest deep water than one can swim.

They can be very aggressive!

I hate snakes!!!!

I don't thinks it's abnormal to fear snakes lol think it's pretty normal ! I've only seen a few nut jobs pick em up and play with them without any type of fear or respect .

Fishing Fork late one night and It was probably 3 or 4 in the morning. I was thinking about getting a few winks on the front deck but they were still biting pretty good. I sometimes like to use a big ‘ole 12” power worm and a few of the used ones wind up on the boat carpet as I’m a bit sloppy that time of night. Ok, most of the time. Anyway, I looked back behind me and thought I saw one of these discarded baits but then it looked like it moved. Rubbed my eyes thinking it was just the sleep deprivation…yep it moved again and was starting to crawl down my driver’s seat. I’m not one to freak out over snakes too much and I was planning to flip the little guy out of the boat…then I noticed he was clearly a baby copperhead. Well, visions of swarms of these killers in every nook and cranny in my boat started dancing through my head and that little monster’s fate was sealed. I was about to head for the ramp, but the fish were still biting too well…stupid snakes.

I'm not sure if you've ever studied the anatomy of a snake, but a net isn't your best option for catching a snake...

.22 with rat shot or a sharp machete are the preferred method for "catching" snakes ...

I was on Fork a few weeks ago.. Had a snake swim down a grass line.. as i got closer i checked to see if it had a rattler..no rattler..had to have been a spitting viper!!!!! HA!!!!!!!!!!!

Fishing the JC Outdoors couple of weeks ago and a water snake decided our boat was the ideal location for a rest. Man those things can be determined aggressive little suckers. After whacking with a rod, picking it up with a rod and a toss, and slowly moving the boat with the trolling motor he finally got the idea that he was not welcome. Really have no fear of snakes but do have a healthy respect for them.

A load of 3" .410 from the Judge will stop them from getting on the boat. And you don't break a rod tip.

My son was your buddy in the back of the boat . He called me after it happened and he was jacked up on adrenaline . He thought it was a cotton mouth and I said I didn't think they got that big , probably a water snake of some sort ---still crazy story and I am one that hates snakes . Since I live in California , I have had run in's with rattle snakes several times and twice had very close calls when accidently surprising them when coiled up . I could care less about size , a poisonous baby snake can kill you just as good as an adult. The only good snake is a dead snake .
tight lines ,
Robb

This!!

For some reason this time of year those snakes get curious. Every time I see one it swims toward the boat and tries to crawl in with us. I had a small one about a foot long crawl up into the motor. We kept our head on a swivel that long run back down the lake lol

I was with Yankee Fool, 2 years living here I've never seen a water moccasin. But the way it acted, it was mean . Maybe didn't help I was smacking it with my flipping stick. It's good to know it was a harmless water snake. Still wouldn't have wanted to go any further in the boat that it was.
Walking the bank I see 10x the amounts of rat snakes and water snakes but never have seen one this big and aggressive adrenaline was definitely pumping

They can get pretty aggressive, a good snake is a dead snake

Incident #1:

Was fishing a TX BASS Nation team event on Cedar Creek last month. While in a pocket near the Log Cabin bridge (along with several other boats), a fellow competitor started yelling for my attention. He pointed out a water snake that was coming at my boat and leaving a wake like a torpedo. Tried to outrun it with the TM, but the snake made up the ground and attempted to get into the boat. My partner in the back of the boat tried to push the snake back with the tip of his fishing rod...but hooked the snake in the belly. Needless to say, all heck broke loose. The snake eventually came unbuttoned, and swam off as fast as it could.

Incident #2:

While fishing on Lake Conroe in March about 20 years ago, I pushed the limits and tried to get back into a narrow creek. After deciding that there were no spawners in there, I began to swing the boat around to head back out to the main lake. The creek was just wide enough for me to lift the TM up and splash the prop over the bank roots to get turned. About halfway in the turn, I looked up and saw a tree limb sticking out. Laying on that branch was a pretty good sized water snake...not 6 inches from my nose. All I remember seeing was that snake's tongue flipping out to try to get a taste of that big object invading his space. Fortunately, he didn't try to strike...but I have always checked out the overhanging limbs for snakes from that point on.

poisonous or not, snakes still bite and leave a very bad wound.(?). My donkey doesn't care, he stomps them all dead.
"Kill em all, and let the buzzards sort them out "

8 foot? Lol, riiiiiiigghhht

Machetes are only good for short snakes. Just sayin.

I believe it.....especially if you were on Tawakoni.....meanest snakes on God's green earth....

99% of the time it is a Banded water snake. Alot of people are quick to say its a cotton mouth.

Lavon Cotton mouth last weekend. One of the biggest Ive seen in a long time. About 4+ feet.

absolutely right. if the whole body swims on top of the water, no bueno.

Where is your shotgun?

Army corps lake. No guns.

Whats even crazy is they do not prefer to live in the water, they go where the food is.