Identify this snake...

I'm pretty sure I found it on the internet but what do you think it is? I saw several of these snakes swimming in the lake while I was fishing Sat on another gorgeous day!



Caught this 3.35 lber to top off my day!

Broad banded water snake?

Hard to tell exactly but positively not poisonous.

I am know snake expert as for identification but it looks like a water snake. Also nice Fish.

Nice fish

Nice catch on a nice day!

Not like any of the common water snakes I find in DFW area. Definitely not poisonous though. Cant tell from the picture what species though. Pope will probably be able to tell you

Yes. Jared's right. These are more common south and east of DFW.

Nice spotted bass too.

Spotted Bass?

Pope: I've asked other friends, some herpetologists, about the truth of a non-venomous having the head above water whereas the venomous would have the body on top of the water. Just want your .02c on that. I've seen venomous species dive from shore, but have never seen them resurface and swim.

Thanks,
Mike

Do a google search for cottonmouths swimming. When they swim, they will inflate and angle their heads upwards. Their heads will be completely out of the water. Their body will be on top of the water and if they pause, they float. This is true for rattlesnakes and copperheads (pit vipers) as well.
I have seen cottonmouths submerge themselves in shallow water, but not swim under the water. When you see other snakes swimming with their heads above water, 90% of their body will be just under the surface and their heads will be barely out of the water.

It looks like it has some horizontal striping on its belly, but it isn't too definite. You're probably right and it's not a spot. Pretty fish.

Lived on Cow Bayou near the Texas/Louisiana border growing up .... poisonous snakes swim .....

Yes, and cotton mouths can bite under water, as well. What I hate about cotton mouths, is their willingness to drop out of a tree into your boat all the while copping an attitude...little load of ratshot deals with that attitude though.

Largest rattler (timber rattler) I ever killed was lying on the bottom of our duck pond about 6 inches deep. After that first .22 cal hit him he swam for the opposite side bank...it was a fiasco getting him dead, ran out of shells, broke my stock on him, nearly got bit, finally got a shovel on his head...ended up being 7'3" without his head and 5" of neck.

So if the snake is mostly submerged, I can relax a little?

I fish out my kayak, so snakes swimming is a much bigger issue for us than for guys in a boat, and I know very little about snakes in general except that I don't like them, haha.

Here is a video I took about 2 years ago of two Cottonmouths fighting in the water.

those snakes are mating not fighting

I have been told both ways by reputable people. I believe it is two males fighting over a female. It is very common for snakes to battle this way.

NOT A SPOT...LARGEMOUTH

Pope, is a water moccasin always a cottonmouth?

Cottonmouth is the nickname people have given the Water Moccasin. Kind of like the Flathead catfish is called names like Yella cat, shovelnose etc.

Banded water snake.

Banded water snake but some old timers round me call em fish moccasin's...

You were pretty dam close, did you kill them?

Looks like a cottonmouth hybrid to me.

ok... why should he have to kill um was he going to eat them, and 2 they were no threat to him they had a lot more pressing matters on their mind. Still though unless your gonna eat it don't kill it just because its venomous or because its "scarey" that just aint right

Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert Hippie alert

hows that make me a hippy? like seriously do you go around telling everyone if it has scale and slithers shoot it? cause if so thats a horrible way to think I may as well say lets outlaw fishing poles give everyone dynamite and tell them to fish that way because fish give some people the willies

Those are cottonmouths. I'll tell you what, you let them go. I'll kill them. I won't kill every snake I see, but I definitely make a point to kill cottonmouths. I just have no use for them where myself, others, or my dog might run into one. Kill it and eat it, is a good thought for many animals but does not always apply. But to say it's messed up to kill a cottonmouth is too bleeding heart for me. Sorry bud.

I was about 3 feet from them at the end and they never even noticed me.

Na, snakes dont bother me and I dont kill anything just because its poisonous. I relocate if needed. And these were in a creek in the middle of no where outside of Austin not bother no one. I spotted them driving over a bridge about 200 yards up the creek. It was pure luck I even saw them.

Great video Jared! Looks like maybe they were fighting over breeding rights.

I believe that's correct, a Nerodia fasciata confluens!

Nice fish

In my book the only good snake is a dead one.