[Ylicyotee]

Hey All!

So the lady and I went cattin off the shore at Jordan over the weekend. I picked up some minnows from the bait shop and purchased a few too many. At the end of the night, I reached my hand in the bucket to save the minnows I hadn't used by throwing them back in the water (gently tossing)...

About 60 seconds after I tossed the last one, she hears something flapping around. We went to investigate...

What appeared to be a baby python must have reached out and snagged one. Now, I've seen a lot of snakes in my day (forgive the quality of the photo), as well as caged pythons. I'm almost 100% positive that this snake should not be around Jordan unless some idiot had let it go.

I know they have large issues further south with pythons in the wild but didn't think that they would be all the way up here. Anyone else seen one?

 

[Wolverine93]

Could have been a Brown Water snake... looks similar to your picture.

 

[Mack in N.C.]

looks like a banded water snake to me...probaly the most common around hereand they est fish alot....

 

[Taboo]

definitely a water snake, seen some the size that would make you think python also...


hopefully ya let it go on about his night, but thats just me, snake lover here

 

[Ylicyotee]

Yeah we didn't touch him. He are his fish and slithered away.

 

[Taboo]

nice

easiest way to tell a water snake from a python, are the heads. A water snakes head is typically slim and inline with its body, barely having any "buldge" at the base of its head. A python on the other hand, has a very large head, wide at the base with a "thinner neck", if that info helps out.

 

[Ylicyotee]

This one had the bulge and that's what concerned me. I'll check my girls camera to see if we got a better shot.

 

[Taboo]

10/4, i'd still say its a water snake(unless very recent release of a python). Wild python's in NC are rare, do happen tho, but the winters are just to harsh for python to survive.

 

[fistmouth]

My inlaws had a full grown python on their back porch a while back. They called the police (non-emergency line) and the animal control to come do something about it, but it was a holiday weekend and no-one would come out. It started to go underneath the shed after a while and he was forced to shoot it. He didn't want to, but couldn't have that it living around the house with a small pet dog using the area.

 

[nc35hunter]

Looks like a Northern Water Snake to me. FOund this pic online which was taken at Umstead Park.

Glad he ate the fish and moved on in either case.

 

[Stew-Rat]

I`m thinking 1 of the water snakes is right. I like snakes and have had a handful. I`ve seen the swallow more than I thought they could. That snake definitely had a lump in it if that went down it`s gullet!
the expression mean as a snake is mostly misleading but I`ve dealt with some water snakes that had major attitudes.

 

[jlr]

the expression mean as a snake is mostly misleading but I`ve dealt with some water snakes that had major attitudes.

I've actually been "charged" by a watersnake - decided he didn't want me in his fishing hole, and swam right for me from across the pond. Always an adventure, wading in shorts.

Looks like a watersnake to me too, if I had to guess. The coloring looks similar to a copperhead - almost a perfect inverse. The copperheads I've seen have the dark "triangles" on the bottom, the lighter ones on the top, but this guy is the opposite. Probably close enough for him to take advantage of the copperheads "venomous" reputation, without having to go to the trouble of making it himself.

 

[Sportspal]

I had that happen to me before. My brother and I seined up a bunch of minnows to use for bait. We pulled the seine net out of the water and beached it on the shore. Here came a 2-3 foot watersnake right into the net and picked off a fish and slithered away. I guess it was too good to pass up! It happened further north and we confirmed it as a northern water snake. Pretty cool!

 

[Neilslure]

I watched this snake wrastle this catfish out of the water and eat it.

 

[wartmanrp]

Slightly off topic, but one way to tell a copperhead from a water snake from a distance is the way they swim. One swims on top of the water, the others body hangs down a bit in the water while it swims. Can't remember which is which but I picked that up at the NC park ranger institute at a snake handling seminar.

 

[l7runner]

Those water snakes are everywhere, especially near rocks. I counted about 8 in an area the size of a boxing ring once in a creek. They also aren't as afraid of humans as most snakes, they can be quite aggressive

 

[hardydk1]

I often have snakes come after me when fishing at night. Had them try to get in my boat several times when crappie fishing, and had them come at me on the bank too many times to count when catfishing. I am certain it is the bait that brings them in. They have a good sense of smell. I had 3 come up to me the other night, and one of them got brave and actually charged at me for a bit. I even had one come at me in the water when trying to land a big flathead on night, I was wading to get him in because it got real shallow, and had to bail when the snake got too close for comfort...lost that flatty.

 

[creekfishen]

Slightly off topic, but one way to tell a copperhead from a water snake from a distance is the way they swim. One swims on top of the water, the others body hangs down a bit in the water while it swims. Can't remember which is which but I picked that up at the NC park ranger institute at a snake handling seminar.

ya got it wrong a water moccasin will float completely on the water while a regular waters snakes head will only float while it swims

 

[speckhunter]

Im with Mack on you visitors type, Banded water snake!

Copper heads have an hour glass patern

and don't normaly swim thow they can.
I have seen this type of snake eating fish many times over the years and they are very comon in the south. Glad you let it be!

 

[tarheel fly flinger]

Great thread you guys!!!To many snakes killed for nothing...just because its a snake! I have Red Bellied water snakes in my area and they can be aggressive . If you kayak then you'll see all kinds of reptiles