Think you're an exteme angler? You ain't got nuthin' on this guy.

[MrShotShot]

Passing this along from some of my fishing buddies.

Now I freely admit that I'm the guy that's out there fishing when it's 15 degrees in January and I've probably taken my kayak out in water that isn't safe to put a boat on, but this guy takes the cake.

http://www.jpmueller.com/rattlesnakefishing.html

[khigh]

That's crazy! I wouldn't touch that rattlesnake. At least I wouldn't fish with it. I don't know if I would risk it, but I have been with people that do noodling. But, nu uh, no way, are you getting me in that water. Maybe you should come to Oklahoma and try out noodling. They say if you come away with all your fingers, you weren't trying hard enough.

[gdoane]

Looks like a sit-on-top kayak (probably Old Town Canoe), Carlisle brand paddle and no threat from the snake.

I've been kayaking on lakes with snakes myself, and I don't smack 'em with the paddle to get them away. I just squirt 'em on the nose with my pump action squirt gun/ bilge pump. They get the idea pretty quick and swim off realizing that a guy who can blast their head down with a powerful stream of water can probably club their ass dead. They're not the brightest critters on the planet but they do understand basic concepts like not being welcome.

I don't kill critters I don't intend to eat. Rattlers are easy to scare away. Most people do it and don't even know they did. Venomous reptiles are never, ever aggressive. Their venom is their meal ticket. They use it for eating and if they use it on you, then that means they don't eat. Which is why they will avoid using venom on people if given a heads up, warning shot or even a basic scream. They don't want to bite you because they can't eat you.

Splashing the snake with the paddle would have worked just as well as beating it to death. The guy made a big deal out of a simple job. I'm not impressed.

[MrShotShot]

Looks like a sit-on-top kayak (probably Old Town Canoe), Carlisle brand paddle and no threat from the snake.

I've been kayaking on lakes with snakes myself, and I don't smack 'em with the paddle to get them away. I just squirt 'em on the nose with my pump action squirt gun/ bilge pump. They get the idea pretty quick and swim off realizing that a guy who can blast their head down with a powerful stream of water can probably club their ass dead. They're not the brightest critters on the planet but they do understand basic concepts like not being welcome.

I don't kill critters I don't intend to eat. Rattlers are easy to scare away. Most people do it and don't even know they did. Venomous reptiles are never, ever aggressive. Their venom is their meal ticket. They use it for eating and if they use it on you, then that means they don't eat. Which is why they will avoid using venom on people if given a heads up, warning shot or even a basic scream. They don't want to bite you because they can't eat you.

Splashing the snake with the paddle would have worked just as well as beating it to death. The guy made a big deal out of a simple job. I'm not impressed.

I'm not sure the snake didn't survive this encounter. It certainly looks alive in the footwell of the kayak and it's not hanging limp out of the bass' mouth.

I, like you, won't kill something I don't intend to consume, but you know how some folks are about snakes. If my wife sees one, it's dead - no questions asked.

[brouski]

He's ok, but he's no Nat Pagle.

[MasterBlaster]

Venomous reptiles are never, ever aggressive.


Gdoane, you are a member of the "Never met a Water Mocassin in the South" club. I absolutely agree with you on Rattlers, Copperheads and Corals. But Mocs just have a nasty nature. They are aggressive of their territory.

[MasterBlaster]

I'm not sure the snake didn't survive this encounter. It certainly looks alive in the footwell of the kayak and it's not hanging limp out of the bass' mouth.

I, like you, won't kill something I don't intend to consume, but you know how some folks are about snakes. If my wife sees one, it's dead - no questions asked.
It may sound sort of cultish or satanic, but:

ALL SPIDERS MUST DIE!!!!!!!

[gdoane]

Gdoane, you are a member of the "Never met a Water Mocassin in the South" club. I absolutely agree with you on Rattlers, Copperheads and Corals. But Mocs just have a nasty nature. They are aggressive of their territory.

I expect that my solution with rattlers would work on water mocs as well.
After all, my kayak is 12' long and weighs 45 pounds so the snake should be pretty well convinced that it ain't dinner. I'd like to see the snake that could eat it. Actually, scratch that, no I wouldn't...

I grew up in the Sonoran Desert, and everything in this desert wants to stick you, bite you or sting you so I'm not exactly a Pollyanna type when it comes to wildlife.