Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking GSF and snakes

I moved a woodpile last weekend with my 13 yr old grandson. I told him to watch for snakes because I've killed quite a few rattlesnakes right there where the pile was. We didn't find any live ones but did find 5 skins. I think they were copper headed rattle mocassins. You should have seen the kid jump when I let him grab the pc of wood that laying on top of one.

That's one way to control GSF...

Unfortunately,I think this is a bluegill.

It might be a HBG... but I'm still thinking GSF..

The snake, on the other hand, is easy to identify.

That's the infamous reticulated, quad-fanged, spitting, constriction viper. Nasty critters.

My 15 year old son took the picture. He seems to have a knack for this kind of thing. I based my identification on what we stocked rather than any knowledge on my part, and on the knowledge of those that have caught fish from my pond. Really, I have not a clue. Like to hear what others think?

Mostly black racers and eastern hog-noses but the one cavern in particular has a good number of timber rattlers and a few copperheads from what I could see... They all seem to get together quite well while hibernating.

I'd bet my next pay check it's a GSF... So thank the snake! HAHA

I'm leaning towards GSF with my 2nd choice being HBG. Too much green in the body, even allowing for local color variations.

That's a great picture! He's got a talent for it.

A seriously great photo! Any details on what type of camera was used and if it was a DSLR, the settings? I can see wildlife photographer in the future!

I'll see if I can get him to respond when he gets home from school. It is not a fancy camera. He does have an eye. I'll see if he can post the picture that he took of a snake eating a catfish that he took last year (or the year before).

Previous picture was taken Nikon CoolPix L100 - does not know settings (he had tried a bunch of different ones). This one was taken with an older Olympus camera. No DSLR.

It's amazing how big a fish those snakes can eat! Funny to watch them try to swallow a catfish the wrong way and get to the pectoral spines and realize it just isn't going any further... Very neat.

The snake that caught the sunfish caught the tail end. It took it up on the bank and switched to the head end so it could swallow it. It was amazing to see it unhinge its jaws and swallow it down. It won't need a meal for awhile.

That snake looks like the one I posted here. What is it?

I think it is a northern water snake, but then again I thought the the fish being eaten in the other picture that I posted was a bluegill.

http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/nersip.htm

I agree, it looks like a northern water snake to me as well.

2 years ago I walked upon a small-ish king snake trying to swallow a 2X larger water snake. The water snake had been dead so long it began to bloat, and the king was in distress. I snipped the water snake off, and the king eventually finished swallowing it and crawled away.

I had so many large water snakes I was considering removing some of them, but didn't have to. Something made them leave, I assume the kings. Now I rarely even see a snake, usually a small garter. I guess nature works to restore balance if you're patient.

I have never seen a king snake, but the hawks get some.

You're too kind!