What do you Bankfisherman do about Snakes coming up to your lantern? My buddy has a Fetish for snagging them, when they get close and then cuts there heads off. I usually pop em with my rod thats about it. What do you guys do???

Snakes don't see well during the day or night and they don't hear at all. They mostly rely on ground vibration to sense danger. Ive bank fished since I was a little kid and seen hundreds of copperheads and cottonmouths. I've never had a problem with any of them-even had them crawl between my feet. I don't believe in killing any snake unless they are near my home threatening my animals or my family. A snake in the open will run 99 times out of 100 if they feel your footsteps approaching. Most people get bit acting stupid and not being careful. If your buddy is playing with snakes, it's a matter of time before he gets bit. Even professionals get bit from time to time because animals are never 100% predictable.

If you see a snake coming to your lantern, stomp your feet a couple times and I bet it will leave.

That I've got to see! They usually just crawl when I walk by them.
<kidding>

My son used to lie in wait for them with a long handle landing net as they swam toward the light of the lantern, then he would quickly lunge, scoop, and sling the snakes either towards the water, way out in the water, or behind him, up the bank, as far as he could sling em. He loved doing that. 99 times out of a 100 they were unharmed

Rudy

a good snake is a dead snake, kill em all.

I'm with FISHYSMELL

"I don't believe in killing any snake unless they are near my home threatening my animals or my family."

That's pretty much where I stand as well. I've seen plenty of water mocassins in my time and none have ever messed with me even when I was swimming just a few feet from them.

Never had one approch me or my lantern on a bank but if I did see one, I'd just grab a long stick and move it. No big deal.

Anything that kills rats and mice is okay by me.

I don't get it. This subject comes up all the time throughout this forum. Aren't folks on here supposed to be naturalists to some extent? Defenders of our resources so that they can continue to be utilized for future generations? Yet everyone wants to kill every snake they see.

Grow some cajones, you wusses. I'm all for protecting myself and my family but unless they pose a threat, all snakes get a free pass from me. They all play a vital role in the grand scheme of things and are actually very interesting animals if you put away your brooms and climb down from the chair to observe them and learn a little about them. Lord knows, I feel more threatened by some of you sissy rednecks than from a harmless snake. (That's mainly aimed towards DL).

Live and let live!

I'm done with the soapbox if anyone needs it.

Brad, thank you. Snakes, slide between my legs and hiss and strike. Anybody that fishes the banks, know about snakes. They come, the check you out, then the leave. Big deal. If you fish, and identify your catch, do it for the snakes. Most snakes are harmless water snakes. Please quit killing the snakes. Please. They are a good part of the ecosystem.
If you have a problem, PM me, I will take care of it.

I'm no snake expert but I seem to have a bunch everytime I start cutting up some bait. After I throw some cut bait about 50ft from where I'm fishing I never see them the rest of the night.

I have had them grab some pan fish on the stringer more times than I care to.

I had a diamondback watersnake, a long one and semi thick bodied, try to drag off a stringer full of channel cats in the EF one day. The fish's midsection was firmly clamped by the snake and he was just dragging it off towards the middle of the river!

I fended him off made him release the stringer, only to have him return for more! I did not know if he had bitten all the fish and whether that might pose a health hazard, so i released ALL the fish, and turns out the only one that went belly up as i threw them back was the one that had been bitten and semi dragged off!

Oh well!

Rudy

If I can reach em I use a Machetti and chop em but If they are out of range I use my pellet gun

(J.K. they usualy don't bother me if they do they are dead but as long as they are just looking, I leave em alone(I have caught plenty of them that have gotten stuck trying to get into my perch traps (they drown)

i was a kid i fished out of tube w/my dad at "cut-of creek Trinadad,anwho always had a metel stringer and always had several bass by the end of morning, SNAKES WERE NEVER BOTHERED THEM BUT THE FRIGGEN TURTLES WERE RELENTLESS ,,,EVEN HAD "COTTON-MOUTH -RATTLE MOCCAASINE " <LOL>COME OUT OF A WILLOW,THE SIZE OF A VW TIRE AS I WAS BACKPEDDELING I WAS SO CLOSE I COULD SEE THAT HE HAD A SUPER LARGE BULLFROG, FEET WERE STILL KICKING,,SWIM RIGHT PAST ME AS MOST..BUTI STILL CANT STAND THOSE LOGGERHEADS --JUST MY 2CENTS -OH I CATCH ONE HE GETS TO KEEP HOOK .LINE AND SINKER..SORRY GUYS I DESPISE TURTLES& WATER TURKEYS,SOME OF THOSE LYING A## GULLS. .....OK 3CENTS..LOL

come on folks its not like we go hunting for snakes, oh that would be fun (LOL) easy to ruffle your feathers; its kinda like elk hunting, you carry a rifle for the elk and a 44mag for the bears just incase. now i can hear you now "theres a big difference between a bear and a snake" yeah about six feet and 400 pounds but a snake can kill just as fast as a bear. i dont take chances, i dont kill kings, garder, water sankes, or any of the non poisenious kind just those little $#$#%#$% that can kill you, like copperheads, diamond backs, cotton mouths, and the little red, black and yellow can kill a fellow kind; i can never remember whch way its goes that rhyme. im not a cruel sob just dont want one of them crawling up my leg to bite me in the apple bag when im not looking. i dont see snakes every trip i take, all be it i have only killed one snake so far this year, he was a rattler and he was good eatin to yum fried and dipped.