Sunday September 30th

Frenchie · Veteran Member

Sunday September 30th

SCM · Senior Member

Nice catch, looks like a wild fish with some good color. I can't wait until the rattlesnakes go to bed for the winter. I hate having to carefully pick my way through the brush around Putah, hoping to not suprise a snake.

brian clemens · Senior Member

thats a beautiful native bow, and the rattlesnake, thats a good pic as well.

Frenchie · Veteran Member

Has anyone encountered rattle snakes at Putah before? If so did they give much warning?�

Maybe it is just�the time of year where they are still out trying to collect sun but are still to chilly to be active when approached, or my cold waders may have prevented it from sensing my heat.

It was definitely a close call.

WytEurp · Senior Member

Nice snake....that pic will keep me from low crawling in the bushes for a bit.....

brian clemens · Senior Member

you should come over to my house i have 6 snakes,

13 ft 100% het albino female burm about 90 lbs
8 ft albino male burm
breeding pair

10 ft bci het albino female boa about 50 lbs
8 1/2 ft bci surniam male boa
breeding pair and breeding as i type

2 baby 100% het kahl albino, 100% kahl albino stripe, 50% ebv columbian red group (bloodline) 25% het snow, 100% het stripe, possible het for anery and sunglow due to father being albino and snow

oh ya did i mention all snakes are up for adoption except to the breeding boas those are being adopt by people in oregan

if anyone is interested let me know
i think ill post in the for sale forum as well

mx19 · Senior Member

I have seen over a dozen rattlers this summer...I hate to say it but if I can safely kill it I do.I will smash it with a large rock..some give you a big loud heads up and other wait till you almost step on them.Ive seen them in all temps of summer weather, morning, mid day and early evening...

mx19

LilWhippersnapper · Senior Member

Is there any certain area where you see them the most?

mx19 · Senior Member

you see a lot of rattlers from access #1 and down...I always seem to run into them on the other side of the creek, not so much on the road side.I have seen a few just above the bridge and a couple over the last few years around #5..most have been between #1 and #3....Those suckers love dead fallen trees, branches and rock formations . as soon as you step out of the shaded areas and in the sun you will be in there happy place..I carry a big long heavy stick and tap the logs , rocks and other suspect areas as I hike...I want to wake them up before I get to close...I have been attacked, but not close enough to get bitten.I have seen some kind of water snake ,but I dont know what it is or what flys to use to for it...some one once told me to hunt snakes all you needed was a fishing license.Im not a hunter so I dont know if that true.If I see one I get the biggest rock I can pick up and drop(toss) it on it and run the other way...Oh ya ..just cause you didnt see won on the way in dont mean you wont on the way back out..

mx19

JT · Senior Member

I had a rattler for about a year.� My dad and I caught it on the Middle Fork American River.� I let my kingsnake get a little too hungry, and it took care of the rattler.� Rattlesnakes are way cool!� I respect the heck out of them, but I'm not scared of them like I used to be.��I do still carry a snakebite kit in my chest pack, though.� I guess that's the boy scout in me.

mx19, it's true to hunt snakes and lizards all you need is a fishing license.� Anyone can look it up in the regs if interested.

WytEurp · Senior Member

Today was my first day back to the creek since this pic of the rattler was posted and now Im goosy as hell walking through the grass....stomping real hard and making lots of noise cant enjoy my morning walk along the creek......

brian clemens · Senior Member

as far as rattlers, wont see much more of them, getting very very cold at night, that last warm spell might have been the last of them

shon42073 · Senior Member

It's getting to cold for snakes to be active, So no worry's. I've probably made a 100 trips to putah and seen two rattlesnakes and both were this year. I have seen alot of kingsnakes on putah.

WytEurp · Senior Member

Good deal, didnt think about it until I was stepping over a log on the island on #5 today. We going to start wearing my snake gaters.....

Oh fished for an hour or so this morning, met Shark Diver who gave me some pointers and a fly (thanks SD). Mayfly hatch stared around 10am and the fish were slaming the water (lots of rises and jumps). Caught two on a blk WD40 just prior to the hatch. and then switched over to a P.Adams but did have any luck Im sure my presintation is still not what it should be.

Shark Diver caught one on a crip. emerger and said that he had had some good look earlier in the morning.....

mx19 · Senior Member

I dont know poop about snakes...Just what I have seen and learned from hiking in their back yard...I hope they are ready to crawl in a hole and sleep til next spring or what ever they do...But the last one (rattler) i saw was last week and it was on the road flat like a pancake..looked fresh too...

mx19

brian clemens · Senior Member

ya the same thing happened to me on the 5th, but it wasnt a snake it was a coyote, man i messed him up bad, oh well. good riddens

WytEurp · Senior Member

How did the ZZ top Z28 fair?

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

Our ranch is at access #5 and last summer our ranch hand killed over 70 rattlers,but this year was alot less with probably only 20 or so killed.I personally don't kill the snakes unless they are right near the house,and even then if I can easily catch them I will take them away from the house and turn them loose at Putah creek....ha ha ha ha that was good,sometimes I crack myself up!But in all seriousness I will turn them loose up the mountain behind our property.With as much time as I have spent on the creek over the last 28 years I have only run into a handfull of snakes I usually see way more snakes away from the creeks banks.Maybe I 'm too busy looking for fish instead of looking where I'm going when I'm on the creek. Bono

brian clemens · Senior Member

the zztop z28 ran over that thing like a champ, ran over it like butta

flygirl1 · Veteran Member

My daughter almost walked into a huge rattler back in June. Right in the middle of the trail along the creek from above the large parking area above the bridge...where it takes a blind turn under a little tunnel of berry bushes. She was in front of me bent down to go under the bushes as she took the turn and fortunately the snake rattled like hell. She jumped back and threw her rod in the berry bushes and came dancing back up the trail. Very close call with a very large snake. Haven't seen one since, just some king snakes and gopher snakes with are pretty cool. Oh, yeah....Mom retrieved the rod.

WytEurp · Senior Member

Hey Flygirl I was going to ask you a question in regards to a post you made about your tippet/leader. you said to tie a 3x from rod to weight, then 4x to first fly and 5x to second fly. Do you have any problem casting dry's with that type of taper?