FYI; for years we understood water moccasins did not come above the fall line, and the next subspecies started no lower than the upstate. This past week, 2 small cottonmouths were killed and a much larger one spotted at John’s creek area, and were verified by a herpetologist. I assume global warming affecting us locally. No longer can I assume all water snakes on lake murray are brown water snakes. Be careful uncovering or stepping into your boats !
I have long known that cotton mouths inhabit Murray. 4 years ago, I had one wrap around my outboard while cutbaiting. I knocked him off only to have him circling the boat several times spitting and striking at me. Finally, after what seemed like better than an hour, I caught the 4 footer in my dip net and slung it all downlake 50 yards. As I got anchors up, he came back toward me. They are evil, tenacious bastards!!! Whenever I cutbait at double anchor, I’m packin’ from now on!!!
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
Pretty sure we had a water moccasin in between the side boards on my floating dock on Cloud’s Creek this weekend. Saw him curled up, head inward, resting on the 2x6. We have water snakes all the time so I wasn’t too concerned. I gave him a little shove with a 5 foot 2x2 so we could use the dock ladder for swimming. As soon as I pushed him, he got pissed and struck the stick- wide mouthed. His head was much more triangular and his eye orbits bulged more than the water snakes I’m familiar with…plus I’ve never seen a water snake with this nasty of a temper.
I killed a very large cottonmouth at the boat club (Hilton area)a couple of years ago. They are definitely around.
I grew up being told and reading “official” scientific literature that gave the same information, no cottonmouths above the fall line. However, the same period of time we were told that St. Augustine grass and Centipede grass would not grow well in the “upstate” of SC, and now it is everywhere. I guess they are movin’ on up!
We even had an alligator on Lake Wylie spotted a number of times. I personally know some of the operators at Catawba Nuclear Station that spotted the alligator at our intake structure a number of days. No reports of seeing it lately, but he certainly survived there for a couple of years. DNR speculates someone release him into the lake, and that he did not migrate up the river from down near the coast.
Six or seven years ago, I pulled in to my dock across from the Lion’s Club, threw my stringer of Bream into the water, and walked to the house for lunch. When I returned, I saw something odd about the stringer. A moccasin had swallowed one of the bream and drowned. I lifted it with a pole and my wife took a great picture. It had one big triangular head.
They are, and have been, here.
Fishless
To be sure, look for the vertically elliptical pupils.
SeaPro 23 WA Yam 225
Key West 17’ Stealth Yam 115
Wilderness Systems Ride 135
Good point MarshMan. Unless they are dead or looking straight at you- that extra little detail can be tricky to see! [:0]
Looking at images comparing the two on the Internet, the brown water snake unfortunately got a triangular head when it was created. It is listed as an “Exception” when looking for rounded heads to distinguish between venomous and non-venomous. I had a hard time telling the two apart other than the pupils.
Banded and brown water snakes can be as aggressive, if not more. I’ve seen a good many water snakes on Murray that made me take a second glance(one wrapped around the foot of a motor that was very content) I grew up on the Pee Dee Rivers and have seen many a cottonmouth and nothing I’ve seen around here has shown the tell tale namesake.
I’m not a herpetologist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express:stuck_out_tongue:
“There is something about hunting those fish that will stick with me and my future fishing plans like a bad case of striper herpes”
-SCOF
It’s my understanding that the cottonmouths are very territorial in nature. I found one in a water meter box a couple of years ago. Luckily I wasn’t reaching my hand in there. It hit a long handled tool three times before I figured out what it was. This particular one was very short and stubby, not long and slender like most water snakes. My Mom was bitten by a “highland moccassin” (copperhead) when she was very young. She was always watching where she walked for the rest of her life.
Several years ago a water snake got in the boat with us during a night tournament. We never knew it until after we had the boat back on the trailer. It was a cool night and the snake just stretched out on the back deck. One of the guys in our club caught it and returned it to the water.
It always pays to watch out for snakes and spiders.
I fished with a guide in Florida who said he had a moccasin in his boat and shot through his floor without thinking. Always toss the snake out before shotting, lol
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
Banded water snakes are definitely aggressive, and especially violent if you catch them. I caught one in a long-handled shad net (on purpose, just to get a closer look at him). Normally I do not think twice about grabbing and handling a non-venomous snake, I do it anytime I can catch one, and show those around that they are not killers. But this banded water snake, NO way. Far too aggressive.
Moral judgment under girds the entire structure of laws and is necessary for the rational structure of any significant statute. The idea that our laws can stand independent of moral foundation is senseless.----- Albert Mohler.
Thanks for sharing this info. I’ve read about them not being above the fall line also.
WILDBILL