Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Garter snakes on the increase around my ponds

Seeing one on just about every trip to the ponds. Saw one of the largest garter snakes I've ever seen with his jaws on a big bullfrog. I took a picture and will post it soon, but the snake pulled back a little under some dead bullrush I had raked out, just before I took the picture. It was kind of morbid as the frog, obviously worn out from the struggle, was totally alert.

I do welcome the snakes as I'm hoping they will control the moles and mice that are tunneling along the banks and the open yard.

I've also got literally thousands of tadpoles in the ponds. They are so common I can see them suspended in open water in the evenings at fish feeding time. It's obvious there are no bass in the pond as it's managed for trophy size bluegill and yellow perch. Maybe I should put just one in?

Anybody else?

I was jumped by a large 3-4 foot snake when walking the banks on Saturday. It was in the tall grass at the edge of the pond and luckily slithered immediately into the water. I could not identify as I was jumping back as fast as he was moving forward. What kind of snakes jump into the water outside of water snakes?

The tadpoles are 8-22" thick from the shore into the water all around the shores. Must be millions.

Caught my first fish from the pond on Saturday, 2 roughly 12" catfish which means in one year I got 5 inches of growth naturally. To small to eat but was good to see the sizing and growth.

I found a perch tail on the bank this morning, was far bigger than I expected about 2.5" tall on 6-7 inch perch I planted last fall. I am going to go after some perch and bass to see what kind of growth I have.

Saw a 2-3 foot snake on my pond edge yesterday. Thick body, but similar to swiss, took off immediately when it saw me. I hope it wasn't a moccasin but hard to tell. Either way, i dont like snakes!!

My 10 year old daughter freaked when she saw a healthy sized garter snake in the grass down by the pond on Saturday. It was after a nice warm up to 80 degrees this weekend and I'm sure lots of critters are out. This snake was about 24" long but didn't seem like it could go after a very large frog/toad. Saw one large American toad in the pond, no frogs, but this time of year we start seeing the toad eggs.

No tadpoles at all yet.

Seeing insects, water bugs, water striders all over.

I was surprised after restocking FHM and seeing more minnows in the shallows that our kingfisher isn't out fishing yet. Hopefully he/they decide to come back as they are fun to see around the property.

Soon hopefully there will be lots of YOY perch for the kingfisher to get too.

the last 2 weeks we had a pair of Canada Geese come at dawn/first light every am. The dog is in the garage at night and when I let him out he ran them off every day for about 2 weeks. Now they are gone for good hopefully.

He tends to leave the mallard pair alone, not sure why. Female is nesting, male just does circles in the middle of the pond waiting. Sometimes meets up with her for a duet synchro swim then she disappears for a bit again.

Cecil -

Depending on the source of tadpoles that LMB you drop in may not eat a single one. Certain tadpoles secrete a toxin which is why fish do not eat those tadpoles. In our pond I've seen no fish go after the tadpoles ever.

http://www.victoria-adventure.org/water_gardening_images/frogs_toads/page1.html

Cecil, It will all level out when that Python gets on the job. Good thing you ordered it when you did. Dan

And to think I'd ever be happy UPS lost a package!

lol, Dan

Sheesh,, It's not even that big. Not quite 14', If I knew you wanted a bigger one I could of had the the guys kept looking!! Dan

Found one (water snake) coiled up in the back of the canoe the other day. I had been out on the water for over an hour, fishing. I was pulling it back up on the bank, when I noticed him coiled up in the stern. I had been sitting over him the whole time.
He went up in there even higher, behind a styrofoam block. Never could get him out.
Got to get that solved before the wife sees him.
I've got so many big bullfrog tadpoles, I've been thinking of harvesting a few of the big bullfrogs before they get a chance to mate. I'm thinking I'll have way too many in there, and they'll attract even more snakes. I've got to have twenty big adult bullfrogs sitting around the pond now. It's way down due to drought, so they are very easy to see in the mud. Just a one acre (or less) pond.

Have you ever priced bullfrog tadpoles on the net?.....You are a millionaire my friend!

Is it legal sell them again? Seems their sale was put on hold a while back due them possibly passing disease to various native species and possibly wiping them out.

Anybody know?

At a time when I was trying to find out if any fish were alive in my pond, (since then, I've seen lots of fish) I was trying every net/trap/cage I could, to find a fish. My grandson and I put out these traps. In no time they were full! Full of bullfrog tadpoles.. Ha
(He could hardly lift these)

All water snakes have learned to submerge under the water as I approach. They must not like the sound of the 4/10 going off

Tracy

Here's a couple pics of the bullfrog that the garter snake had latched on to. Apparently he will turn him around at some point to swallow him?

Unfortunately as I said the snake pulled back into the dead bull rushes I had raked out of the pond, so you can't see his head.

I have never witnessed one of my fish using American Bullfrog tadpoles as forage - I literally have tens of thousands in my ponds. If they did, my fish would all have WR of 150+.

Yesterday I released a couple hundred bullfrog tadpoles in a clients pond that I had trapped along with FHM from his forage pond. I watched as the tadpoles slowly swam out into the pond, and as they dissipated, some larger BG and an 8" LMB came in to investigate.

Both LMB and BG grabbed a few tadpoles. Both fish species first grabbed one and spit it out, then grabbed it again and swallowed.

Just goes to show that every pond is different I guess!!

I was down at the pond this afternoon when one of my dogs started barking at something. I thought it might have been one of the neighbors cows, but then I could see it was something on or in the ground. When she started dancing around it, I was afraid it was either a snake or a snapping turtle. I hurried, as best I can, over to see what it was as I tried to call her off. She doesn't respond very well to recall, or mind all that well in general. When I got almost to her she did come to me, and I could see what she was barking at was a big, thick bodied, black snake with a lighter under belly. I didn't see its head, and didn't waste any time trying to. I took the dogs back up to the house while considering my alternatives. I've decided to just let it be. It was in deep enough grass that I couldn't see it until I was almost on it, and if I went back with the dogs, I would again be exposing them to the risk of being bitten. Of course, there will always be that risk as long as the snake is on my property.

Your choice 20ga. or 12ga. A sick dog will break your heart.

I don't understand why one would shoot a snake unless it was venomous and a risk to pets or people. Turtle there are moccasins in Missouri I think, do you believe that's what it was? I have never seen one before - I think they get pretty common down South.

It looked as much like a cottonmouth as any snake I can think of. I had lots of rat snakes at my other place. Some got 5' long or more, but never thick, and they always tried to escape. This snake just stayed coiled. I have lots of bullfrogs in my pond, some in my little garden pool too, but I have seen only 1 tadpole. I did see several baby frogs today for the first time this year. Last year the pond was loaded with them. I think frogs are at the top of the cottonmouth menue. One of my dogs swims all the time, and wades in the shallows trying to catch frogs. I have cottonmouths on my mind when she does that, but I have them and other venonous snakes on my mind when she and my other dog run through the tall grass, and she's almost always doing one or the other. My other dog will wade out and swim a little too sometimes, but not nearly as much. And he may sit with me while I'm fishing while she's swimming or hunting.

I expect that, due to the color, it was a cotton mouth. That's about the only snake that I go out of my way to eliminate.

Tj, last year I did not to kill the water snakes @ the pond and the numbers grew to 7 and I watched my bull frog numbers go down. I finally had enough, I want Bull Frogs, for me to eat and for the lmb to eat. So I started to reduce the numbers using my 4/10. I have tried using my pistol but I just waste amo. I can hit the side of a barn but a small snake head the size of a 1/2 dollar @ 10 to 15 yds NOPE. i have never seen a Moc @ my pond but I have seen them on my place, they are Nasty snakes !!!

Tracy

The people that we got our dachsund from lost two to moccasin bites; they were our dog's brother and sister. They lived in a house near a swamp and moccasins are common but the people didn't know they had been bitten till it was too late.

Excellent article on water moccasins versus water snakes and how to identify.


http://www.georgiawildlife.com/sites/def...rochure_Web.pdf