The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Sports

May 25, 2012

Snakes are a part of freshwater fishing

Rick Goines FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER

TARBORO — Snakes have been around since Adam and Eve. See, Mr. Dickinson, my Sunday school teacher from 55 years ago, I was listening to your teachings at Avondale Baptist Church.

I respect them as God’s creatures, but I do not favor them. I recognize that when I am fishing on the water, I am a guest in their house. I am a large, intrusive, loud guest, but a guest all the same. I don’t want to hurt them, but I need to figure out a way to get them to stay away from me. Far away! Did I mention that I don’t like them? I can get queasy watching a snake show on the Animal Planet channel.

Anyone that does any measure of freshwater fishing will eventually have an encounter with snakes. They inhabit every body of water out there. Recently I have enjoyed and taken advantage of the shad second season at Battle Park in Rocky Mount. I have fished there frequently, with some measurable success, over the last 30 days. I have never seen so many snakes as there are currently slithering around Battle Park. These are not harmless water snakes, but poisonous vipers like Copperheads and Cottonmouth Water Moccasins. They get close enough to me to see their diamond-shaped heads and markings. Pardon me, but that’s too close for comfort. It’s not odd to see 4 to 5 different snakes when I am there fishing alone. I read a recent article written by a snake expert that said for every snake you see, another 10 are nearby, but out of sight. Excuse me?

So, I am fishing around 40 to 50 snakes at the boat ramp in Battle Park? Yikes!

I grew up fishing the Potomac River in Maryland. General George Washington, lamenting his lack of troop strength during the Revolutionary War, supposedly said he wished he had as many soldiers as the Potomac River has snakes. I remember seeing plenty of snakes around the Potomac River, but they all seemed to keep their distance.

The snakes at Battle Park are bold and fearless. I guess they are so used to seeing people and boats that they are not easily spooked. God knows I’ve tried! I slap the water in front of them with my rod. I yell at them thinking it might scare them, but they keep on coming. Sometimes they are only a few feet away from me. Ever seen a fat man with a limp run uphill on a boat ramp? It ain’t a pretty sight, believe me.

I have never come close to being bitten by a snake, and hope I never will. That being said, if I should ever suffer snakebite, I am sure I will die from fright and a subsequent heart attack long before the venom kills me.

Hotspot of the Week – If we get some much-needed rain, I feel like the Tar River at Rocky Mount might have a few more White Shad to yield. Realistically, we probably only have a few more shad fishing days. I love shad fishing. It’s been a wonderful, productive shad season for me. I consider it a blessing. I wish shad fishing were available year round.

Rick’s Soapbox – I continue to be appalled at the thoughtless, selfish people that leave their litter behind on the banks of our beautiful Tar River. I always try to bring back more trash than I took, and I encourage you to do the same. I keep several of those plastic grocery bags handy for that very purpose.

Catching fish? Tell us about it. Better yet, send us a picture with all the details. We love to hear from you at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com.

See you on the water, my friend!

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