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.
