# Overdue and under useful report



## lovelandfly (Mar 11, 2010)

Hit the LMR last week. Hot night 2 days after a ton of rain. The water was up a bit but I was able to get in and wade where I thought I needed to be so no problem. I threw 3 lures after listening to Quietco and Smalltalk:

1.Crick colored Rebel Crawl. I tossed this for about 1/2 hour. No hits though I feel like I refined my rock smacking technique. 

2. Panther Martin. I tossed this for a out 20 minutes but I was pulling up moss every other cast so I switched out of frustration.

3.Black Boo Yeah buzz bait. I spent an hour and a half working on this one. I think I had to honest bumps on the surface but nothing broke through to gobble it up.

I'm thinking about looking for some videos on how to manipulate that rebel crawl and the buzz bait so I can get some better results. Water conditions were a little murky too, so it was just a rough night. 

I did have an interesting (unwanted) encounter with a brown water snake about 2 feet long and with a pattern on his back. Any thoughts on what type that was?

I've been reading a lot on here and not posting, so I didn't want to be a report chaser so there's my sad story!

Time on the water is never wasted.

:S


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## Globadoc (Jun 27, 2011)

lovelandfly said:


> I did have an interesting (unwanted) encounter with a brown water snake about 2 feet long and with a pattern on his back. Any thoughts on what type that was?
> :S


Did it look anything like this?









If so, it may have been a Massasauga Rattlesnake, which apparently can be found in that area.


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## zuelkek (Jun 8, 2011)

Sure than brown "water snake" wasn't a copperhead? Regular water snakes are gray. Copperheads are brown. Not too many other snakes take to the water if they can help it.


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## small talk (Feb 13, 2009)

Check your PM! Time to get that skunky smell off you...


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## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

Believe the Massasauga rattlesnake is a protected species. Know they are found up in the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve area. If it was brownish with "patterned" markings would guess copperhead also. Beware of ALL snakes with triangular shaped heads, these include all but 1 of the local poisonous variety, the exception is the coral snake ("red touch yellow, can kill a fellow"- member of false cobra? family) which seems to be the worst of the bunch locally, luckilly not very common.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

LOL, it wasn't some mystery venomous snake. It was a common water snake.

They still scare the bejeebuz out of me but I find it hilarious someone didn't say it could have been a Gaboon viper.


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## Perch (Apr 5, 2004)

It might of been a Gaboon Viper !!

Actually we call those Queen Snakes............always in the water.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

It seems like I have seen a lot of snakes this year. Saw a water snake trying to swallow a gold fish on 4 mile creek a few weeks ago. I guess someones catfish bait got away. Tried to get a pic but the snake bailed for deep water.


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## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

fallen513 said:


> LOL, it wasn't some mystery venomous snake. It was a common water snake.
> 
> They still scare the bejeebuz out of me but I find it hilarious someone didn't say it could have been a Gaboon viper.


Most folks never consider that almost all snakes you see in Ohio are non-venomous. I know people who have shot "hundreds of cottonmouths" here. I guess that explains why we don't have any as well as the fact that we've never had any does.

You are correct, a common (VERY common) water snake is what it was. They will bite the crap out of you if you pick them up, but not venomous.


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

loveandfly, you'll have to ask either SMBHooker or QuietcoMike about the time they lost their fishing buddy to one of those monstrous snakes. It was quite a sad story, I just can't find the post about it right now. You really have to be careful out there!

Did it look like this?


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

p.s. If you like snakes, check out this .pdf that has descriptions and pictures of all snakes found in Ohio: *http://www.flipseekllc.com/wildohio2009reptiles.pdf*

You really only have to watch out for the copperheads and 2 rattlers in (limited) parts of Ohio. Around here I am more worried about getting bit by a brown recluse or the dreaded "skunk-fish"!


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

WAREHOUSE said:


> loveandfly, you'll have to ask either SMBHooker or QuietcoMike about the time they lost their fishing buddy to one of those monstrous snakes. It was quite a sad story, I just can't find the post about it right now. You really have to be careful out there!
> [/img]


*Link to the Post: *

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=163152

*The story:* 

Be careful I lost a great fishing partner to a snake in the river 4 years back!!!

My buddy was a big LMB fisherman and was working tournaments at the time. All I did was talk about how much fun these bronzebacks were. I convinced him that he needed to wade the river with me and hunt down some Smallies . . . see what all the fuss was about. 

My Friend was your average outdoorsmen and angler. A different stock of people than my other associations! He had never waded before, but knowing he was such an avid outdoorsmen I had full confidence in him, no worries . . . right? 

We fished most of the day and I attempted to give pointers on how best to fish for and catch a smallmouth during our session on the river. He just continued to fish like he was used to for largemouth and consequently toward the end of our excursion hed only landed a few fish and all were largemouth. 

So, we ended up on one of my honey holes !! In-between us and the shoreline was a deeper channel that separated us from the bank, it was about 20 ft out. In the midst of our fishing I notice a water snake winding its way above the water. I quickly pointed it out, both as an FYI and because it was a larger specimen of about 3 ½ - 4 feet in length. 

Immediately my partner locked up and froze at the sight of this large reptile. Being not afraid of snakes, I continued to cast my rod in hopes of ending the day with a good catch. The snake was coming toward us now and it looked as if it had been swimming from the opposite side of the bank we were fishing. Rooted in now, like a statue, moving only his lips my buddy frightfully whispered, its coming for me. 

I laughed it off as just a humorous comment from him. I told him theyre harmless of course, but then I saw the real fear in his eyes. I thought, wow he is scared to death, I thought he was an outdoorsmen, its just a snake.

Being paralyzed in fright my friend hadnt moved for sometime. The snake had been on a lengthy swim and must have found my friend a restful sanctuary lying motionless in the middle of the river. The snake moved for my friend and his flight or fight response took him over. He chose flight, and bound through the river in retreat of the snake that followed him. 

He ran as fast as he could splashing all the way and yelling in high pitched tones, its after me . . . Im being attacked. 

His panic attack got him no-where as the water forced him to run in slow-motion through the river toward the bank and the deeper water. With no regard to how deep the water lay before him. He lurched forward and disappeared. 

Soaked to the bone and relieved of the snakes pursuit, my buddy left the water with no smallmouth caught and a bad taste for wading the river. 

Hes not returned since. Like I said, I lost a great fishing partner to a snake in the river 4 years back!!!


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

damn..you set that one up good, had me going for a second there lol good story


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## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

Correct, venomous snakes are uncommon, but best just to give ALL snakes a wide berth. They eat many mice and other small rodents and thus are actually benefical.


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## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

How'd you get that water moccasin to pose next to the pot leaf? 

Imagination is more exciting than reality sometimes...


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

homebrew said:


> How'd you get that water moccasin to pose next to the pot leaf?


LOL! I had to look at it again, but I see it now. 
-Wouldn't that make it a "gardener" snake though? *drum roll*


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Yeah I remember that "lost a fishing buddy story" haha.... Jerk! 

Anyways...

I found a pretty quick remedy for snakes imposing on my spot. Grab a stick and just touch them with it. You don't have to hit them or even poke them with any amount of force whatsoever. Just a simple touch and they take off.


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## lovelandfly (Mar 11, 2010)

I posted this and took off out of town, but thanks for not picking on me for getting skunked and instead picking on me for being a sissy about snakes! 

I'm hesitant to say it was a copper head, so I wanted confirmation that there a patterned brown water snakes around swohio.

That story about the lost fishing partner totally got me last year!

I'll keep my eye out for the vipers 513.

Thanks for the the thoughts y'all!


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## lovelandfly (Mar 11, 2010)

Thanks for the link. I paged through it, and I still don't like snakes!




WAREHOUSE said:


> p.s. If you like snakes, check out this .pdf that has descriptions and pictures of all snakes found in Ohio: *http://www.flipseekllc.com/wildohio2009reptiles.pdf*
> 
> You really only have to watch out for the copperheads and 2 rattlers in (limited) parts of Ohio. Around here I am more worried about getting bit by a brown recluse or the dreaded "skunk-fish"!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Only recently have I become able to not jump 3' in the air backwards when I see one shoot out from under my boots while wading. 

I still do a schizophrenic dance every time I walk through a spiderweb.


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## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

fallen513 said:


> Only recently have I become able to not jump 3' in the air backwards when I see one shoot out from under my boots while wading.
> 
> I still do a schizophrenic dance every time I walk through a spiderweb.


Oh well, spiderwebs are different. I would really hate for anyone to see me walk into one of those. Probably think I was having a seizure or two.


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## McBride757 (Aug 15, 2010)

LOL! I'm the same way about spider webs. Everytime I walk through one on a trail in the dark, I drop my pole and do the spiderweb dance. I'm a sissy I know, but I would much rather see a snake.


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## Phantom20 (Aug 4, 2011)

Your not the only one who's a sissy when it comes to spiderwebs if I could scream it's would sound I'm part of a horror movie lol I walked thru a web this morning while walking to my car and I and I about dropped my son to freak out so I'm sure I'll have a nightmare about a giant spider tonight lol


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