New old report

Matt B

Matt B

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
I walked down in there at the end of April and had myself a bobber down fest. There were not many people fishing, but there were more people around than I’d ever seen. There were two large groups of hikers. One group was about 40 people strong; seemed like Scouts or similar.

With all those people around I was surprised to run into 2 rattlesnakes on the hike down. The first was off the trail and gave good warning. Good snake. The second was on the trail and a little slower on the draw to rattle. I was also moving more quickly and less cautiously. It gave me a nice jump, and then moved off the trail.

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I fished with a Matt’s TP’s jigged Rickards’ Stillwater bug and an ASB chironomid with red rib most of the day.

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The photo isn’t great but cliff swallows were very actively getting mud from the exposed bank by the big beaver lodge. See below:

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Not sure what this fish was eating. Barbed treble hooks maybe? Ouch.

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It’s a nice crop of fish this year.

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Glad ya weren't snek bit.
 
Jim F. said:
Glad ya weren't snek bit.
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You can tell from the photo quality how close I was willing to get. I’m not in rattlesnake country all that often so I find it a little surprising how well tuned my CNS is to the sound of that rattle. It’s gotta be part of our DNA.
 
Matt B said:
You can tell from the photo quality how close I was willing to get. I’m not in rattlesnake country all that often so I find it a little surprising how well tuned my CNS is to the sound of that rattle. It’s gotta be part of our DNA.
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Your description of the snake's warning rattle and how the second snake was a bit slow on that - happens. I was walking back to my truck from the "S" curves on Rocky Ford late one evening, the sun was setting. I saw, rather than heard, a snake slithering on the same footpath I was walking on. I decided to see how close I could get before he coiled/rattled. He didn't (I got about half a fly rod length away before I decided that was close enough). I tapped the snake a couple times with the rod tip and that got a half a$$ed rattle.

Great report on the lake; what a wonderful place to fish and enjoy incredible geology! Thanks Matt.
 
in rattler territory, found walking with rod in weak hand pointed backwards and staff in strong hand ready for a sweep parry always a good idea...saved me from a likely bite on the boulders alongside Pit River Powerhouse 3 upon disturbing the sun siesta of a coiled large one that got whacked as it began it's launch.
 
SurfnFish said:
in rattler territory, found walking with rod in weak hand pointed backwards and staff in strong hand ready for a sweep parry always a good idea...saved me from a likely bite on the boulders alongside Pit River Powerhouse 3 upon disturbing the sun siesta of a coiled large one that got whacked as it began it's launch.
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Oh man. I suppose I could’ve “parried” with my FB 120.
 
Matt B said:
You can tell from the photo quality how close I was willing to get. I’m not in rattlesnake country all that often so I find it a little surprising how well tuned my CNS is to the sound of that rattle. It’s gotta be part of our DNA.
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Nah, not part of our DNA.

I had a new pup, and took him across the street into the sagebrush so he could pee and poop before going to bed. It was twilight and the wind was howling.

He was off-leash and I could see him pissing on a sagebrush bush when I heard the sound. I kept thinking "I have heard that sound before, what is it??"

Turns out he was pissing on a rattlesnake.

As for the lake, I was hiking out one day when I found a perfect sized wading boot on the trail. I picked it up, figuring the odds were good the other shoe would have fallen out up trail.

When I picked up the shoe it rattled on me. I dropped the shoe and resumed my hike. A feet hundred yards and I found the other shoe.

Not sure I could put on a wading shoe that housed a rattlesnake in its past.
 
Count me in the "in the DNA camp." Born and raised westsider, went to Pullman for school and fell for a walla walla girl. Took her to rock lake, and I had heard it was snekky. Every time I heard a cricket or some grass rustle I'd ask her "is that a rattlesnake?" Shed grown up with them, and kept telling me "no, and you prolly wont have to wonder when you hear one."

Sure enough, about 10 minutes later I heard my first rattlesnake and knew it immediately. I turned to look at her to find her smiling at me, already nodding.
 
I am not in the DNA camp, unfortunately. Much to my chigrin. Moved to Alabama and went to a creek, saw a snake and put a stick behind its head --'> cottonmouth.

Was hiking in the woods and a rattlesnake there was hanging down from a branch. No rattles.

Stepped on a rattlesnakes once, no sound.

Also ran into copperheads. No rattles on them.

I have never heard a rattlesnake.

On a bike ride from Steamboat Rocks to Coulee City. On the way back 2 rattlers in the road. Headed for the bushes.

I no longer go where venomous snakes reside.

I have been lucky so far. Not going to press my luck again...
 
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Snopro said:
If it's not already, should be in the lyrics of a country tune. Is your pups name Lucky?
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Pink Nighty said:
.... it was.
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Those would be good lyrics.

Rattlesnakes, however, are such mellow snakes in most cases. The snake just stayed there coiled up and waited for my dog to finish pissing. I suspect he quickly left the neighborhood since he just got pissed on when he showed up

They do have that one personal flaw that makes it difficult to show them much affection.

Not a fan of rattlesnakes, particularly after I visited a friend in intensive care after he was bitten by a rattlesnake. Three days and $38,000 dollars later he was released. Current costs are about $150,000.

He was a great hunting dog. Not stupid, but as a pup pretty unaware of snakes. I think most dogs I have had pretty much ignore snakes. Which is not good. My vet said that snakes stink to high heaven to a dog and any dog bit by a snake knew the snake was there.

My current dog has run over garter snakes and just ignored them!!

As for that lake area, it is pretty much infested with snakes. I quit fishing it after the ground warms up.

The good news is that unlike another snake infested lake I have never seen rattlesnakes swimming in that lake.
 
509 said:
Rattlesnakes, however, are such mellow snakes in most cases. The snake just stayed there coiled up and waited for my dog to finish pissing. I suspect he quickly left the neighborhood since he just got pissed on when he showed up
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Maybe warm dog piss was just what that snake needed for thermoregulation at the time. He enjoyed it. Or maybe just a kinky snek.

509 said:
As for that lake area, it is pretty much infested with snakes. I quit fishing it after the ground warms up.

The good news is that unlike another snake infested lake I have never seen rattlesnakes swimming in that lake.
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I didn't even mention the ticks, all the broken glass in the lot, or the roving bands of thirsty tweakers.

And the rock chucks. They got the nastiest damn rock chucks there. Let the air out of my tires while I was fishing one time.
 
Nice report. As for damn snakes, I won't walk where they hang out. Period. Pretty deaf even with my hearing aids (have been my whole life) and I wouldn't hear one if it gave me a warning buzz.

Two years ago I was walking a shore line and out from under a hidden ledge a snake thrust out and hit the back of my thigh. Never saw it. Thankfully i was either a non biter (it left no marks) or a bull snake that just head butted me. But the back of my leg felt like Griffey Jr. took a full swing on me. Hurt like a mo fo. That was it for me. Got snakes? Put me in a boat.
 
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