I think most people who fish in a boat don't harm snakes, and probably don't eat the fish they catch.
But I fish banks too, and at 5:00 am while hiking and I see a snake that comes close to not looking like a garter snake, it gets a rock thrown at it. There is no opportunity for me to take a chance.
So picture this - it's after dark, you're out bank fishing with your little one, and a snake crosses your path. Do you:
A. Shine your flashlight on the snake and go in for a closer look so you can identify the genus and species.
B. Smack your rod on the ground, or throw a rock or whatever you can find in the general direction of the snake.
C. Tell your kid "don't worry honey, if you don't bother them, they won't bother you" and keep moving.
For all of you snake lovers - the correct answer is B. - when you are out with your kids and it's pitch black out, you don't take chances and try to figure out whether it's poisonous or not. I'm not advocating killing every snake you see, but when I can't see it's going to be "shoot first ask questions later". If my tactic kills the snake, OK. If it scares it away, that's even better yet.
Oh, and I don't think any true fisherman/outdoorsman kills anything just for the sake of killing.
