Snakes on Ky and Barkley

[Col Forbin]

Is it just me, or are there more snakes than normal on Ky and Barkley. I saw more than I could count yesterday, all Juvenile cottonmouths (redish color). Did the floods have something to do with this? I had a few trying to get up on my transom, almost put my hand on one getting a jig out of brush - Yes I screamed like a girl. I have always seen a few out, and in spots they would be thick, but it seemed like everywhere I went down Barkley I would see several. I even saw a few fishing main lake ledges - I hardly ever see them out there. I may think twice about taking a dip this summer.

[twise7]

I fished a tourney on KY lake this past weekend and we came across one cove that had a mess of those same nasty things you described!! Never seen anything like it! They must have been protecting a nest or something 'cause they would NOT leave us alone. I had to swat at them with my pole - did watch one go swimming toward a pleasure boat that was anchored in a bay. My partner and I tried to get their attention but watched in amusement as the little critter swam toward them.

[the_donger]

I have not noticed any more than usual. The ones I have seen have been LONG! Not real fat but a 5 foot snake is a 6 foot snake!

[lilmule]

There is often a resemblance in nature of one species to mimic the other,the ringed water snake being one of those,recent flooding brought a lot out of shoreline grass,brush.Many of them relatively harmless but not all,last time out I had one that wanted to rest I guess tried to climb in the splashwell,minor rod push and it gave it up.
And yes a juvenile cottonmouth would resemble a copperhead,the main difference between it and a non venomous snake is head shape,ace of spades.
When out of the water an adult resembles more a timber rattler as is dark with brown verigated marking.sometimes greyish but one cannot mistake that open mouth posture if disturbed.

[Embrey]

- Yes I screamed like a girl. .

LOL

[lilmule]

Harmless ringed water snake http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/p...cture004-2.jpg
you be the judge http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/p...cture003-2.jpg

[smokefan]

I was fishing with a buddy several years ago. It was about this time of year, we were throwin top water. I cast just off the bank and saw something coming from the bank towards my lure. I started reeling it back and the dang snake was following my bait. I reeled it in real quick and the dang snake kept coming toward the boat.It got close and my buddy started hunting the paddle. The snake was at the transom, I thought it was a copperhead-never seen a cottonmouth-so I took my rod and tried to swat it away. Well those trebble hooks were real sharp and I snagged that stupid thing. By now my buddy had found the paddle, I laid it on a stump sticking out of the water and my buddy used the paddle like an axe and chopped its head off. I sat down and tried not to pass out, my buddy got my bait out of the snakes body and then made a cast, caught a 5 1/2lb smallie. To bet it all when all this nonsense started there wasn't another boat around, when I sat down to catch my breath and looked around, there were at least 6 other boats stairring at us.

[zx150]

I was down there this past weekend and we saw a ton of them as well.

[softcraw]

I fished cave run lake today and I seen 8 snakes in the water and 3 of them were copperheads, two of the copperheads were within five ft of the boat. I seen the copperheads in one spot and as I was trying to get them away from my boat a lady in a runabout beached her boat right where the snakes were at and got out and walked about a hundred yards into the woods, she said she was camping there. You could not give me a thousand dollars to do that.

[kygorski]

Are you guys sure about cotton mouths? to some all snakes look like snakes.I've lived here for almost 16 years, and cant honestly say I ever saw a live copper head or rattle snake.Snakes yes but most of them harmless, and of some use.Dont get me wrong, I dont like water snakes, I leave them alone, but if and when they make a serious attempt to bother me, I use the 22 cal snake charmer, but only used it once in all the years I dfished, and that was at night with a crappie light out. I live in the boonies, not an urban area, have found several long snake skins in my sheds, but I keep it to myself. But man show me a spider, and its ape spit time for me.

[kc]

I agree most don't know their snakes. Copperheads, cotton mouths, and rattle snakes are all viper snakes and especially copper heads tend to be short and have much fatter bodies that most snakes. I big copperheads may only be 3 or 4 feet long but as big around as your arm. I have only seen one and have lived in KY all my life going on 50 years and it was out at the boy scout camp at Bernheim. I saw a snake once on a creek that I thought might have been a cotton mouth but I am not for sure...

[kc]

There are definitely more snakes down there than anywhere I have fished particularly on the LBL side of the lakes. One spot in particular on Barkley - Fulton bay is unusually packed with snakes. In May like this on the late side of the bush bite if you go up around the bushes on a sunny day it is unreal the number of snakes that you will see.

I too have seen them up in the bushes. Last year while flipping I ran into them up in the bushes quite often and it dawned on me why they did that -- they get in there after the bird nests that are in there. One of the snakes I flushed from a bush was right there on a nest when I spooked him and you have to look really close to see the nests they are camoflaged so well. I figure one of these days I am bound to spook one and he will jump in the boat with me and I might scream like a little girl myself!

kc