Red Rock Adventure Blog

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

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

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.


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