Rattlesnake Attacks Bass Boat

I stumbled across this interesting video on BassFan.com. It shows a big rattlesnake swimming right toward a couple guys fishing from a bass boat. The snake is coming right at them, and it is big.

What would you do?

Rattlers do swim. It's not uncommon to see them swim across streams. This one was quite a ways from shore, swimming like a pro.

In my view, many people have unreasonable fear of snakes. Under normal circumstances rattlesnakes try to get away from humans, they only strike if they are cornered and harassed. They can't strike from much of a distance and they can't chase you down.

In this video shows the snake is coming right at the boat, and it keeps coming back even when they try to chase it away by hitting with their rods. Bass boats sit low on the water and the big snake might have been able to climb aboard.

The snake coils in the water and prepares to defend itself. It is very persistent and never backs down.

What would I do? I'd watch it with great curiosity. After I saw how persistent it was I would start my motor and move to a different fishing spot.

Some people would become obsessed with the snake and try to kill it. That's sad. There is no reason to harm the snake in those circumstances. The snake was in its environment--its home. The fishermen were the intruders. The fishermen could easily get away, at any time.

I live in a city and I don't want rattlesnakes in my back yard. I grew up in the country and we encountered rattlers on a regular basis. Basically, if we left them alone they left us alone.

Occasionally one would come in under the house, chasing mice or something. We considered that a problem and took action. But out in the fields, there's no need to harm them.

Snakes play an important part in an area's ecosystem. They are living creatures and deserve respect. I would happily yield my fishing spot to the snake.

- Dave

Planning For Adventure...

I keep my schedule as flexible as possible, so I can take advantage of opportunities as they develop. That's particularly true during spring and fall, when storms can ruin the best-planned trips. The flip side is also true--periods of dry, mild weather can produce amazingly nice conditions for hiking and backpacking--sometimes too nice to resist.

Fish behave in predictable ways and it is easy to predict angling success during particular time frames. For example, walleye in Utah Lake will begin to spawn in late March or early April. It's more difficult to predict what weekends will bring peak action. I try to stay flexible so I can be there for the frenzy, no matter when it occurs.

That said, some adventures have to be schedule in advance. I'll be backpacking Grand Gulch this spring and permits there have to be worked out well in advance. Next fall I'll be floating the San Juan River between Mexican Hat and Lake Powell--if I can get permits the needed permits.

I try to take one major trip a month and then patch in 2-3 minor fishing or hiking trips. Below I list my dream list of major adventures for this season. I never actually go on all the trips I plan, but I do most of them. And, because I'm flexible, I swap in others as I learn about great opportunities.
- Fish Lees Ferry below Glen Canyon Dam
- Fish Lake Powell 2-3 times
- Fish Flaming Gorge 1-2 times
- Fish Green River 2-3 times
- Fish/Backpack in the Uintas 1-2 times
- Fish/Backpack Boulder Mountain
- Backpack Grand Gulch
- Backpack Dark Canyon
- Hike The Maze to the Harvest Scene

I consider those pretty major trips because they take 2 or more days. Below I list some day trips, which I consider to be minor outings.
- Fish Strawberry 8-10 times
- Fish Provo River 4-5 times
- Small stream fishing - numerous trips
- Desert camping/hiking - numerous trips

I usually take people with my on my trips--mostly family or buddies. But I go on more trips than my associates can handle and so I sometimes go looking for companions. Let me know if you are interested in any of the trips on my list--maybe we can join forces.

- Dave

Quagga Mussels Found in Red Fleet Reservoir

(DWR provided the news release below)

Quagga Mussels Found in Red Fleet Reservoir

DWR continues to receive test results

Laboratories in Colorado are still testing water samples taken from 38 lakes and reservoirs in Utah in 2008.

The lab workers are searching for tiny, destructive organisms called quagga mussels and zebra mussels.

Their testing is almost done. And so far, the results the Division of Wildlife Resources has received are encouraging--most of the waters tested do not appear to have mussels in them.

Mussels found in two waters
Mussels have turned up in two waters, however--Electric Lake in central Utah and another water just added to the list, Red Fleet Reservoir.

Red Fleet is about seven miles north of Vernal.

"So far, all of the mussels found have been very small juveniles," says Walt Donaldson, Aquatic Section chief for the DWR.

"That’s a sign that the mussels may not be well established in these two waters yet."

Learn more
You can learn more about mussels--including the damage they can do and what you can do to prevent spreading them--at the DWR's new mussel Web site.

The Web site address is wildlife.utah.gov/mussels.

Are Fishing Shows on TV the Next Hot Commodity?

This article in USA Weekend says fishing shows are hot and getting hotter. I wouldn't know because I don’t watch them. Do you? I'm interested in get comments on this.

Below are excerpts from the article.

Like golf and auto racing before it, sportfishing has quietly become one of the hottest sports out there -- both out on the water and on TV.

"People who don't even fish tell me that their kids are watching me on Saturday morning," says Ish Monroe, 34, an angler who has his own ESPN2 series, "Yo, Ish!" ... It's not uncommon to find Monroe playing hip-hop, trash-talking his prey and showing off the snazzy 20-inch rims on his boat trailer.

Such antics are luring viewers to the action, including the "Super Bowl" of sportfishing, the annual Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport-Bossier City, La. The event, airing on ESPN2 starting Feb. 21, will feature the wiliest fishermen in the land -- and one fisherwoman -- 2008 women's Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Kim Bain-Moore, 28. She will be the first female angler ever in the 51-person field vying for the top prize of $500,000.

What do you think? Will trash talking fishing hosts hook you? Are you into fish TV?