SNAKE!!!!!!

[joshimoto son]

I took my Dad to the Detriot River yesterday to go walleye fishing.
We got to the launch just before 6:00 and hoped that we would have our limits in a few hours and then go home to a tasty dinner.

Well... the fishing wasn't as good as we hoped, by 10:30 or so we only had three in the box.
making another drift in front of the BASF plant, Dad finally caught his first walleye.

About five minutes later, My Dad jumps up and gives a couple explitives.

Now my Dad is not a guy to just jump up and do something like that... in fact, the only thing he really jumps up for is dinner!

"What the hecks the matter with you" I said, " you get stung?"

My Dad wasn't talking... finally he said, "no, there a D$%* snake in the boat!!"

Now my first thoughts were, "How could there be a snake in the boat?"

I'm petrified of those things!!! When I see em on TV I pick my feet up off the floor and cover my eyes and wait till it's gone.

Dad picks up the net and heads to the back of the boat where a 4 foot water snake starts to make his way onto the back deck of my Triton. (I'm just guessing it was a water snake, we were in the water... the snake was in the water... it must be water snake, right?)

So Dad starts to shoo it off the deck as it retreats to the back of the transom where it really doesn't wanna leave.

Now Dad is swinging at it, hitting my couling more than anything else.

I then remembered back to when I was a kid, every time my Dad would build something, I always wanted to help. So when he let me pound some nails with him, I would repeatedly me miss the nails and hit the wood, at which time, Dad would be screeming at me "The nail! The nail! hit the nail!!!"

So I thought I would return the favor and save my shiny couling... "The snake!! The Snake!!! Hit the snake!!!"

Dad finally gets the snake off the boat and the things starts swimming, and can they swim!

Remember we're floating down the Detriot River, that snake is swimming around like there isn't a bit of current and my 101 pounds of thrust can't get away from that snake in the current as it starts to come back to the boat!

Dad is cussing at it furiously and gave it one final warning of which it decided to ignore. As it made it's second attempt to get back into the boat.

Dad's accuracy with the net greatly improved with out my couling distracting him and gave the would be stowaway a head ache I'm sure he's still feeling today.

My only and last hopes were that a musky would come up from the depths and make him a tastey mid morning snack! Nothing doing!

Thankfully, nobody was around to see this gracefull display of pest management.

It was the first time I ever wished my 21 foot boat was bigger.

We only managed to put one more eye in the boat before we called it a day, but let me tell ya!
It's hard to fish when you have the heebee jeebee's!

For the rest of the day, Dad was known as the "snake charmer"

joshimoto son

[bshaner]

Thank god that didnt happen saturday!!  It would have been hard to explain to those bed fishermen why you were holding me like a bride crossing the threashold on wedding day.


Were the walleye good eating?

[djkimmel]

Ya know - there's always someone waiting with a camera when someone is being abused or something bad happens... why couldn't there have been someone taping this little episode???

I'm sure the entertainment value alone would have warranted a trip to the Letterman Show!

[spinninbug]

Ok first it's bugs that follow you and your boat,  now snakes?   I'm dying here,  wish I could have seen this one,  pituring in my mind is hilarious!!!!

[Cy]

Joshimoto,

I can relate to that event.  I was on the a small lake up north and had a water snake chase me down.  I was clutching a boat paddle and hyper ventilating waiting for the beast to climb in the boat.  It is amazing how fast they can swim!  I gave up early that day because I was too wound up (and freaked out) after that to fish.  I hate snakes, almost as much as I hate spiders!

Cy

[Duke]

I think I'm gonna have to turn you in to one of my PETA buddies...

[canvsbk]

Once again, you guys on the East side have all the fun. FOUR FEET long? Nice sized water snake I'ld say!

[joshimoto son]

Yeah... not a big PETA fan!!!


Cy,

I can garauntee you that it was longer than three foot.

It was tan and black striped like a coon's tail.

If that never happens again, I'll be  happy.

[fiker]

He was probably tired and just wanted to rest a bit.
Maybe a little snack.  Exchange pleasentries and be on his way. 
But noooooo. 
You guys had to give the poor thing a hard time!


The second time, he probably thought to himself that you had mistaken him for another snake of somewhat lesser quality.  He returned to explain your mistake when WHAAP, you let him have it again. 

Poor snake.

lol   by the way, I'd have reacted exactly the same as you guys.

[Cy]

I hate to admit it but the snake that I dealt with was about 2' long.  But keep in mind that did make him any less intimidating to me.  Here is what the DNR has to say about them:

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-61196--,00.html

The DNR states: "Needless persecution by humans has eliminated water snakes from many places where they were once common."

If they didn't swim at and climb in the boat they wouldn't so persecuted.  That is one aggressive snake to take on an object 10+ times it's size.  It kinda defies nature.

Cy

[yukonjack2]

JoshSan:

I got a story not unlik eyours as well - ky lake 5 years ago - our annual pilgramage to the south for a lweek long r&r - you know the drill - drive 600 miles with great anticipation, get e verything unloaded and hit the water ruinning.  We were on south Barley beating the banks for about 10 minutes when my partner gets a spinnerbaqit hung up in a tree on the bank - I try an explain you can't get bit up there - boy was I WRONG!

as I headed to the bank to aid in getting him unstuck, a 3 ft long big brown ky biting snake fell from a tree branch nearby and onto the front deck of my lund.  Well, the chinese fire drill was in high gear. Noit near enough room for 2 anglers and a snake in the boat.  Son the trolling motor is on high, crashing nito the rocks on the bank, and I am near/on the cowling, and Glen is on the transom. the snake went over the d/s wind shield and disappeared.  I have to give credit wherecredit is due, glen had the guts to go start the big motor and thro it in reverse to ge tout of there - we get 100 yds out, and try and regroup.

No sign of snake, back to fishing.  I would say it took a good 3 hours to get comfy back on the front deck, looking at the console for old meanmouth to reappear.  no sign of him anywhere, althoug we never saw him actually hit the water.

Well, upon returning home - I had to rewire my trolling motor - found a 41 inch skin in my side bolster compartment.  Must have fished with im as a passenger all week - still kind of freaks me out thinking about it.

Jack

[joshimoto son]

Yikes!!!

I think I would have had to sell the boat after that one!