Hey Jamie,

Don't worry too much about gators. They are actually pretty docile. You honestly have a about a 0.0000 % chance of being attacked and eaten by a gator. They really don't want to mess with you. Your dogs and cats on the other hand, well, they are more in line with what a gator will hit. The only times you'll have to worry about them is if you run accross a hen gaurding a nest on the bank or still keeping the little ones nearby. You'll know your near little ones because you'll hear them chirping. I never did a whole lot of freshwater fishing when I grew up down there, but on the times I did, there was great fun to be had by throwing buzzbaits in front of the smaller gators. They almost always slap at them, but I never managed to get a hook into one.

Water moccasins, which is the same as a cottonmouth, are a real and present danger, but their bad reputation is much bigger than the threat. They will occasionally approach people more out of curiosity than anything else, but when people see them coming and freak out, it freaks the snake out, and accidents happen. There are a few differnet types of non-venomous water snakes, and they all resemble cottonmouths, and they generally have worse dispositions than cottonmouths. They are harmless, but will take a shot at you if you get near them. A lot of folks will not recognize them as watersnakes and will blame the incident on a cottonmouth. A lot of people who don't take the time to learn their snake ID will see a snake in the water and immediately say "moccasin". You will probably run accross many, many, many more watersnakes than you will cottonmouths. The only time I would be concerned with the cottonmouths would be when launching or recovering my kickboat and there is a lot of brush or other snake hiding cover on the bank. If a snake approaching you really bothers you, I would say go to a local gun shop and order up a .410 derringer, and get some #8 bird shot shells and blast the little bugger if one gets too close for comfort(assuming you are fishing awway from homes). Take some time to learn your snakes, and be concious of where you put your hands and feet, and you should not have any problems with cottonmouths.

If snakes and gators really bother you, there is always the option of trading in the bass gear for some poppin rods and soft plastics and get yourself into some redfish and speckled trout wade fishing action down on the bay or surf. The only thing you have to worry about there is rattlesnakes in the salt grass, stingrays, and man-o-wars. Send me your email, and the next time I'm down I can show you some redifsh and trout stuff that might make you stop bass fishing.


Take care, and I hope to see your name on the first Sharelunker caught from a kickboat.

Travis