snakes in the Delta?

How many of you run across swimming snakes while riding the delta? I swore if I ever saw one in the water I would never get in the water again....and after 5 years that day finally happened yesterday. It took a good 1/2 hour of convincing and a lot of will power for me to get in for my second set, and when I did I did a stock run so I would crash as little as possible.

I know people ride with alligators and all that,Ive been in the water with seals and otters, but I hate snakes, so for all you Delta riders, how often do you see them swimming?


Oh, and it wasnt just cruising around, it actually tried to get on our swim step and when we idled away it followed us around for awhile...uugh

(Message edited by parkgirl on May 16, 2006)

It was just looking for a warm place to sun. They are more afraid of you, than you are of them.

I know, thats why I got back in, but still...

I saw one last year - about 2.5 - 3 feet in length. No one was in the water at the time, so it came right up onto the swim deck, sat there for about 4 seconds and then swam off peacefully. The women on the boat were almost in hysterics, I was personally just glad I was not in the water at the time. It did not however stop anyone from getting in to ride after that.

Welcome to wakeboarding.......

Mount an owl on your swim platform. That should keep snakes far away.

...I guess all I really wanted to know was if people saw them often or if it was rare.

Thanks Chris, Ive been riding, 2-3 sets a day,4-5 days a week for the last 5 years.

F that, not my thing. Last thing I want it wainting for the boat to come back and egt me and snake cruise up to me and I can't even swing cause I have the board attached!

The snake was probably just impressed with your riding skills and wanted to show you some respect! What a way to treat one of your fans.

With your obvious riding skills, I am sure that you could just land on him if they get too close next time. Bad karma though!

I used to ride in the Colorado River a lot in the Yuma area and on more than one occasion we would have a wayward Rattler be swimming towards our downed riders, and those boogers are pretty quick. Nothing a couple of swats from a short handled oar didn't take care of though. The only good snake in the water is a dead one.

Haha...no I dont want to hurt any snakes.

Like Kenny, I just dont want one coming to say "hi", or sunbathe on my head while Im waiting for the boat to pick me up.

We had a 4 or 5 foot water snake crawl in the boat last year while we were standing around drinking beer on the beach. They say they are atracted to the vibration of your radio if you are just hangin out.

Andrea, we've only run across 1 or 2 on the delta and 1 at Lake Don Pedro. There is actually a spot on the delta that we call snake alley because of the last encounter. Personally they don't freak me out too much unless they have a rattler attached, but we've got a buddy that is freaked of snakes. He fell and had a snake swim by and he screamed like a scared girl (sorry for the terminology). Since that day that area is known as snake alley. BTW it's still one of our favorite places to ride. I wouldn't worry too much about it, just consider yourself lucky you don't have to deal with gators.

When i used to live out at the rivers end we would see snakes all the time. The plus is i went and talked to some reptile guy at a store in Berekley, and he said all the snakes in Northern Cal cannont bite while swimming. They need to be able to coil up to strike. I hope that eases your worries a bit.

So no need to worry right? If they want to bite you in the water, they first need to coil themselves around your neck!

They can coil in the water, saw it 2 weekends ago out in the middle of the lake. We had thrown the handle at him and missed, but he still coiled up and opened his mouth WIDE as if about to strike. I HATE SNAKES. Didn't get in after that, sucker was BIG.

Oh and I don't buy that they are scared of you - this is our 4th encounter with a snake who came right up to one of us in the water.

if you board with gator's you are f-crazy,nothing but a big worm on a hook

yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about snakes. Check this out:

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060516085209990008&ncid=NWS000100 00000001

I used to tell people not to worry about the gators and they won't bother you, but now...
We rarely see them, and we have never seen them where we ride. Usually in canals or in really shallow areas of the lake - places you expect to see them.

I have seen at least 4 to 5 rattle snakes in Horsetooth Res out here in CO. I came within 12 inches of one while cutting outside the wake.

That would be scary to see a snake while riding. I too hate snakes to death and would probably scream like a little girl as noted above if one were to be swimming in the same area I was running.

I believe they can coil, but cannot "push" off the water to strike. We were at New Melones last memorial day and I noticed a really strange looking branch in the water as I drove past it pulling my rider. It turned out to be a baby rattler that was taking a swim lesson. Of course my rider fell within ten feet of it, so I put the boat between them and tried to push it away. It really held its ground and wouldnt swim away, I was quite amazed. He (the rider) eventually got in the boat and the snake was still in that area of the cove for up to thirty minutes. He swam like a sidewinder.

I would imagine that simply pushing some water towards one and creating waves would make it harder for it to swim towards you. If you ride with a helmet it would be real easy to hit it with the helmet to keep it away. I always figured I would splash the crap out of it hoping it would go away, lol.

(Message edited by liquidmx on May 16, 2006)

wow I rode melones a alot for a week straight last summer never seen one but I did see all the warning sign's and holes on the beach..

This one was killed last year on my home lake last summer after it attacked a dog. 14'

Them Delta snakes are good eat'n.

Lake Sonoma is loaded with rattle snakes. I ran across six in one weekend while camping there.

Matt, Walt - Baby Rattlers are worse than the full grown ones if you happen to be that close to one again, not being mature yet they don't know how to control their venom like an adult snake. When they bite you they continue to inject venom where an adult will inject and stop. Be careful out there.

Besides keeping your eyes on the water, I dodged through a swarm of bees riding at Elsinore this morning. I tried jumping across the wake to the other side to avoid them, but, wouldn't you know it, I crashed right at the spot. My buddies came back to pick me up and they swarm around the boat. Fortunately, nobody got stung. Gonna have to bring a can of multi-purpose Black Flag for 'em bees, snakes, and gators.

Hey Evan,

Who was the person that screamed like a girl when they saw the snake at snake alley???

out on victoria a few years back when we still had in i/o we thought we spun the prop off the shaft because the motor rev'd up so fast. so we lift the outdrive up, come to find out we ran over a snake that coiled up around the blades. soon as we got the outdrive all the way up the snake uncoiled itself and swam away like nothing happen. it was a big snake too maybe 4+ feet long. made us all laugh for a second, went a ways down and got back in the water....

I would much rather take my chances with a little snake than a 12'gator down here in Florida. At least you'll still be alive with all your extremities.

Any Washington riders ever seen a snake in the water on the Eastside? I know they are around over there but I still have yet to even see one except dead on the road in the 21years I have been traveling around over there.

I never even knew rattlers could swim. Do all snakes swim? (hopefully thats not a stupid question)

rattler can definitely swim, and water mocassins are common, where we board also have to worry about alligator garSince this is Texas, usually carry shotgun in the board racks

Sh*t Quinn . . . wish you hadn't made that comment about Horsetooth, since that's where I'm riding Saturday!

Andrea rides 2-3 sets 4 or 5 day per week. That is a lot of riding. That is pro training if not more. Do you do comps?

Roger- I dont compete. Just love to ride and am lucky to be able to go out a lot.

Evan- I hear you on the gators!! Snakes just give me the creeps and I hope that was an isolated incident

(Message edited by parkgirl on May 16, 2006)

Snakes in the water?? How 'bout the back yard! Here's a good sized cottonmouth from last summer.. and yes, it is poisonous.

DAYYYUMMMM! I wouldnt be anywhere near that thing!!! I hate snakes, I prolly woulda shot at it will a pellet gun

(Message edited by mjfan23 on May 16, 2006)

lol the dog looks more scared than the kid!!

Do people start out toothless in the South?

Just messin'. Pellet gun? The only pellet gun a rattlesnake needs is of the 12 gauge variety, lotsa pellets!!

Kylie,
that is in the heart of summer when the water is warm.
I don't think you will be seeing any snakes in the water this weekend, and if so they won't be able to move due to it still being damm cold.

"Thanks Chris, Ive been riding, 2-3 sets a day,4-5 days a week for the last 5 years."

Your resume is surely impressive, but that wasn't my intent. My comment was directed to the effect, that humans don't own the water. We're just another number in the liquid. Snakes, Snappers, Gators, Sharks, Tubers, plus an assortment of deadly fish, which are illegally released into your local waters are par for the course at this point-given your region. There is little reason to worry about "anything," accept who helped pay for gas and when's my next set. Otherwise, you could worry all day long about stuff that will never or rarely ever occur. I've been on the water a few days now, and have never heard of a snake bitten rider. I have heard of people getting injured on their toilets, killed in cars, and food-poisoned at Taco Bell. And yet, I still ride the thrown, peddle my car, and order tacos with pure abandonment. Life on the edge "is" fun.......

to be honest... I never really thought too much about snakes in the water until you guys started with this thread. Now I think I'll quit riding altogether and pick up something safe.

Someone say snake ?

Blake ~ Remember this guy

Hey Nick, yeah they are over here on the east side, on the water, not often but I've seen it a few times.

Everyone QUIT IT! You're giving me the creeps, especially as AZ has got loads of rattlers. (One less as of yesterday as I saw one squashed on the road). Never seen any on the water, ignorance is bliss.

Seriously... Ant, c'mon. I'm getting scared to ride tonight. ha, ha, ha.

I would rather get shot 50 times than get bit by a snake.

How about one big enough to eat you.
http://www.break.com/index/snakehippo.html

OMG that was nasty.

Hey Andrea,

The Delta is prime habitat for snake, especially with the rocks along the shore (making great cave structures for mice and snakes). Every once in a while they get spooked and leave the rocks to avoid a land predator, but quickly make their way back to the rocks.

We've seen at least 2-3 a year on the delta, but then again I'm a biologist so I'm usually on the look out for snakes.

cheers,
denny

got 2 last night on ski beach stockton they are all over that island... One swam from across the way right up to the boat nice little king snake had to grab it and scare the girls...lol

Matt-thanks for the info

My dad was talking to a guy and was told that in the Nachess area of WA they actually spray your property with some sort of snake repellent that keeps them away?

may be some hype here andrea; has anyone ever seen a venomous snake on the delta??? California’s only native venomous snake is the rattlesnake. (and sea snake found rarely in the ocean off the coast of so-cal) I would be more concerned with the dead bodies, bio waste, and obvioulsy super toxic pesticides dumped in the delta by the farmers... gnarly!!

Nick - Yup...I've seen only a few in Eastern WA and one on Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID. No biggie though. Not like Anaconda when it busts through the dock. Talk about the funniest scene in a "thriller" movie.

I was thinking more about "what to do if I fell next to rattler". I think I would pull my board up to the water level beginner style (between me and the snake obviously) and kick like crazy till the boat got closer to help me out.

wouldnt worry too much about a rattler striking in the water... but i guess if it actually happend, that would be a good idea...

I know a few surfers from San Diego that have come across buzz tails in the line up. Usually with the first rain of the season the snakes will be chilling and get pulled to sea in runoff. Makes for an intense few seconds during the paddle out. Be careful near rural stream deposits.

I know the crew at WCC killed and ate a rattler on McClure last year (those poor coaches lose their minds after awhile). I guess they can make their way onto houseboats and do so rather frequently. I agree violent shooting over snake bite any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

I have a snake bite kit on the boat after our encounters...just in case. Our riding spot is ~40 minutes from a hospital.

o man good video chris...

well i saw and destoyed a snake yesterday on the delta... well not in that order.. i was mowing bill middletons island..(the one outa rivers end with the big cig boat in front of the blue house.. and i thought i ran over a rock.. nope a 4 foot snake..so there is one less out there.. it cut it into 5 pieces and the mouth was open and looked like it was going to bit the mower.... i was grossed out for like 10 min

I never seen one on the delta, but have seen quite a few on the motherlode lake. Pedro, McClure, Melones, and Tulloch are loaded with Rattlers.

Since I moved to Oklahoma I have seen atleast 100+ snakes. I have only been here a year and the snkaes and bugs suck. The last trip we had I counted 12 different snakes in the water from 6 inches to 5 foot.ridn9high