Worst Nightmare Almost Came True

[JackNiem]

Had a way too close encounter with a snake while fishing in Schuylkill County this weekend. I was walking to a small stream next to some ball fields right in a small town and stepped directly on top of this guy.

It was one of those "oh ****!" moments as I watched my foot drop down in slow motion right on top of him. He was so camouflaged into the trail I didn't see it until it was too late. I didn't put all of my weight on him and kind of hopped onto my other foot while barely putting pressure on the snake. Fortunately, he must have still been cold and didn't budge or even try to strike. He was right in the middle of a trail in a popular park with fishing access to the creek and people walking their dogs on the trail. Of all places I fish, this would not have been at the top of my list to get bitten by a snake. Also the first copperhead I have ever seen in real life and I had to do a few double takes to make sure I was seeing what I though I was. I've seen plenty or northern watersnakes that look like copperheads for a few seconds, but I'm pretty sure this guy was the real deal.

At least I was about 20 feet from my truck and had cell phone signal, so if there was ever a good spot to get bitten, this would have been it. I have almost stepped on a rattlesnake while alone in the bottom of the valley of one of the streams on the south side of the Susquehanna near Renovo. I would imagine that would be about the worst place in the state to get bit so I'm thankful I did not step on that one.

Anyway, although I don't think copperhead bites are typically life-threatening, I am very glad this guy decided to spare me of one of my worst nightmares that could happen while fly fishing in the state. Certainly would not have been a "fun" experience. Might need to look into a pair of gaiters for peace of mind going forward, even though I think this proves you have to try really hard to get a snake to bite you.

 

[salmo]

Reminds me of a joke that end with, Snake bite victim "What did the dr. say?" His buddy "He said that you're gonna die."
PM for the full joke if you're curious.

 

[wildtrout2]

Had a way too close encounter with a snake while fishing in Schuylkill County this weekend. I was walking to a small stream next to some ball fields right in a small town and stepped directly on top of this guy.

View attachment 1641253883

It was one of those "oh ****!" moments as I watched my foot drop down in slow motion right on top of him. He was so camouflaged into the trail I didn't see it until it was too late. I didn't put all of my weight on him and kind of hopped onto my other foot while barely putting pressure on the snake. Fortunately, he must have still been cold and didn't budge or even try to strike. He was right in the middle of a trail in a popular park with fishing access to the creek and people walking their dogs on the trail. Of all places I fish, this would not have been at the top of my list to get bitten by a snake. Also the first copperhead I have ever seen in real life and I had to do a few double takes to make sure I was seeing what I though I was. I've seen plenty or northern watersnakes that look like copperheads for a few seconds, but I'm pretty sure this guy was the real deal.

At least I was about 20 feet from my truck and had cell phone signal, so if there was ever a good spot to get bitten, this would have been it. I have almost stepped on a rattlesnake while alone in the bottom of the valley of one of the streams on the south side of the Susquehanna near Renovo. I would imagine that would be about the worst place in the state to get bit so I'm thankful I did not step on that one.

Anyway, although I don't think copperhead bites are typically life-threatening, I am very glad this guy decided to spare me of one of my worst nightmares that could happen while fly fishing in the state. Certainly would not have been a "fun" experience. Might need to look into a pair of gaiters for peace of mind going forward, even though I think this proves you have to try really hard to get a snake to bite you.

Glad you got through that encounter without issue. You were fortunate. In 50+ years of going to the mountains, I have yet to encounter a copperhead. They are pretty snakes though.

 

[salmo]

In 1964 I was at Camp NoBeBoSco in Blairstown, NJ. One of the big things was to weave a real bullwhip from leather strips. Most of them were short because the leather material was not long enough. We slept old canvass tents, rumored to be Army Surplus on wooden platforms. On morning one of the other Scouts was looking for his bullwhip. As I looked around I thought that I had found it. As I bent over to pick it up, it moved and slithered away. After capture it turned out to be a copperhead.

 

[falcon]

That's rattlesnake country as well.

 

[salmo]

That's rattlesnake country as well.

Yes, but we never had to worry about mice and rats.

 

[Swattie87]

Definitely a CuHead.

Snake gaiters to the knees in warm weather is the answer. Have definitely stepped within striking distance of several Timbers before. They all didn’t move, or rattle, or do anything, but I was still glad I had gaiters on.

Glad it turned out the way it did OP.

I too have never seen a Copperhead in the wild in PA. Would like to someday, but would prefer not to find it by stepping on it!

 

[MJMFlyfisher]

Been there....... 😳 I almost got nailed twice in one day! I LITERALLY stepped on this one. Felt him squish under my wading boot. I just felt him and saw the thrashing under my foot and I'm pretty sure I levitated 6 ft. Strangely enough he never rattled.
He sure was ready to rumble after I got off him!
Later in the day I didn't learn my lesson and sat in the high grass waiting for an evening hatch and had one coiled next to my thigh less than 2 feet away. 🤦‍♂️
He finally rattled when I sat BACK down. I stood up to watch the water for a minute, went back and sat in my butt print in the grass and he rattled right under my right arm as I was sitting down.
VERY quiet rattle too. Barely heard it.
I am down to 5-6 of my 9 lives at this point I think. LOL

 

[wildtrout2]

Been there....... 😳 I almost got nailed twice in one day! I LITERALLY stepped on this one. Felt him squish under my wading boot. I just felt him and saw the thrashing under my foot and I'm pretty sure I levitated 6 ft. Strangely enough he never rattled.
He sure was ready to rumble after I got off him!
Later in the day I didn't learn my lesson and sat in the high grass waiting for an evening hatch and had one coiled next to my thigh less than 2 feet away. 🤦‍♂️
He finally rattled when I sat BACK down. I stood up to watch the water for a minute, went back and sat in my butt print in the grass and he rattled right under my right arm as I was sitting down.
VERY quiet rattle too. Barely heard it.
I am down to 5-6 of my 9 lives at this point I think. LOL

View attachment 1641253890

Wow, that's pretty amazing. What a great pic!

 

[tomgamber]

South fork of the Boise river was littered with rattles. We just stopped our way down the trails and they all went away ahead of us.

 

[salmo]

Been there....... 😳 I almost got nailed twice in one day! I LITERALLY stepped on this one. Felt him squish under my wading boot. I just felt him and saw the thrashing under my foot and I'm pretty sure I levitated 6 ft. Strangely enough he never rattled.
He sure was ready to rumble after I got off him!
Later in the day I didn't learn my lesson and sat in the high grass waiting for an evening hatch and had one coiled next to my thigh less than 2 feet away. 🤦‍♂️
He finally rattled when I sat BACK down. I stood up to watch the water for a minute, went back and sat in my butt print in the grass and he rattled right under my right arm as I was sitting down.
VERY quiet rattle too. Barely heard it.
I am down to 5-6 of my 9 lives at this point I think. LOL

View attachment 1641253890

So as a Christmas gift for you I’m gonna send you a set of tidy whiteys from Walmart

 

[Lhersh]

Definitely a CuHead.

Snake gaiters to the knees in warm weather is the answer. Have definitely stepped within striking distance of several Timbers before. They all didn’t move, or rattle, or do anything, but I was still glad I had gaiters on.

Glad it turned out the way it did OP.

I too have never seen a Copperhead in the wild in PA. Would like to someday, but would prefer not to find it by stepping on it!

Do you have a specific brand of gaiter you recommend?

 

[Swattie87]

Mine are a now defunct Cabelas house line product. Scentblocker either made them for Cabelas or produces a nearly identical pair now. There’s different styles though. Mine are the soft wrap around your leg to your knee kind. I have a buddy who has the baseball catcher style ones, and another that wears full chaps to the hips. Pros and cons to all. Check out the options. Any are better than nothing obviously. I wear mine in snake country May 1 through Halloween or so, FWIW. “Waders, gaiters, boots” as I say on my mental checklist of what did I forget.

Full disclosure: On my pair I can confirm their ease of use, comfort (you don’t notice them), and longevity (mine are approaching 15 years old and I had to restitch one buckle on one side, once), but I’ve never had a snake strike them and I can’t vouch for their effectiveness there, fortunately. Again, I’m figuring anything is better than nothing here. Banking on that and the Timber’s relatively mild manners to be enough. There’s just too many fishing situations in PA where you can’t exactly see where you’re putting your feet.

Thoughts of snakes do pop in and out of my head fishing in the Summer. But the gaiters give me the mental confidence to block it out if I need to hike some miles back to the car.

 

[jgish92]

Has anyone on this board ever been bitten by and snake, or know a fisherman who has been bitten?
I am very nervous about snakes, but have never encountered a venomous snake while fishing. And for all of the encounters I've read about on this board, I've never read about a snake bite. I've considered getting gaiters, but then wonder if it's really a legitimate worry.

 

[wildtrout2]

Has anyone on this board ever been bitten by and snake, or know a fisherman who has been bitten?
I am very nervous about snakes, but have never encountered a venomous snake while fishing. And for all of the encounters I've read about on this board, I've never read about a snake bite. I've considered getting gaiters, but then wonder if it's really a legitimate worry.

No, I don't know of anyone actually being bitten, but have read of many close encounters here on PAFF. It comes down to how concerned you are.

 

[PennKev]

Has anyone on this board ever been bitten by and snake, or know a fisherman who has been bitten?
I am very nervous about snakes, but have never encountered a venomous snake while fishing. And for all of the encounters I've read about on this board, I've never read about a snake bite. I've considered getting gaiters, but then wonder if it's really a legitimate worry.

Snake encounter stories are all pretty much the same as, "I woulda made it to the big leagues but blew out my knee in preschool."

If you want to be scared of something while fishing, be scared of loose/wild dogs.
Or other people, they're scary too.

 

[dc410]

I’m a forester so snake chaps are a part of my work gear and I always have them in my truck. I usually put them on after I bump into my first rattlesnake on any particular job. I have worn them while fishing but only in instances where I know I’m definitely in big time snake country. I’ve seen lots of rattlesnakes over my career in many different counties of PA. I even found myself in the middle of a denning area in the Catoctin mountains down in Frederick Co., MD many years back. I actually saw 8 different rattlesnakes all around me while standing at one spot. I gingerly backed my way out of there on the exact same path that I got into it. The last copperhead that I saw in PA was while working several decades ago on the east side of Reading in Exeter Twp., Berks Co.