Red Bellied Black on Board

[ronnieandbill]

Hi All
Well just been out on the boat for the last 3 days. Thought you all might enjoy this???????????? :-?
Came back to Caboolture River this morning, dropped hubbie off on shore and pulled up just past the boat ramp to see what was on the bite til he got back.
Suppose I had been there for about an hour when a guy, his wife and two young ones started paddling around the boat chatting away for a few minutes. I They were starting to look abit curious so thought I'd have a chat. They said there's a snake swimming around your boat. (Immediate thought was whatever thery're on I don't want any. ).
I was thinking a sea snake but then thought not around here. I looked over the opposite side of the boat and said I couldn't see anything. He paddled around the front, down the side and let out a yelp-- the Bas------ is on your duckboard. Its a red bellied black snake.
Have you ever seen someone only five foot tall up on the roof of a 21 foot boat without touching the sides.
To cut a long story short the guy came aboard, I managed to bend down far enough to grab the landing net with extendable long handle, handed it to him and he very carefully lent over the back and removed it. By the way I was still planted firmly on the roof. I wasn't coming down at all; not until I knew the thing had really gone. The guy also made sure it had gone and even came back to tell me that it had wriggled off into the bush.
I'd like to thank Michael and his wife as it could of been pretty disasterous had they not seen the thing. THe kids thought it was great and couldn't stop giggling. They will have a story to tell the teacher next year. I'd also like to thank the wimpy blokes in the tinnie who took off real quick at the mention of SNAKE.
Its funny now telling everyone at home but at the time I was SHiiiitttttttting myself.
I will put this fishing trip down to better one next time.-- The weather was crap, hardly any fish, got breathalised which is funny to as I don't drink, Nearly had a snake on my boat, pulled the boat out a little way without lifting the leg--- Lucky Lucky) and got so sunburnt I still look like I'm wearing sunglasses.

Cheers guys and hope you get a laugh. ;D ;D
Ronnieh

[griz066]

Holy crap I don't blame you for sh!tt!ng yourself ;D ;DI would do the same 8-) 8-)

[Poodroo]

Good laugh. Nice to know that I am not the only one who has days like that. Lol
Hope the sunburn heals quicky for you.

Regards,

Poodroo

[stevedemon]

Hi ronnie h
i have just read the post out to my other half an she is P##sing herself laugh while try to say at the same time she would be doing the same thing or playing J.C an walking on water to get away from it me i grow up with them but still take care around any snake

good laugh an hope your next trip is a better one without the snake an a few lizards ;D ;D on board instead ::) ::)

Cheers ;D ;D
Steve 8-) 8-)

[ronnieandbill]

Hi guys
Glad you had a laugh. Thought about doing the JC thing to but the bities in the water might of been just as bad.

Ronnie

[disorderly]

Hi Ronnie,
Its always nice to boat a new species.How much did he weigh?

cheers Scott

[choppa]

if your that badly sunburnt,,,you've turned a shade of red,,,,,,,

snake might have had his eye on you,,and was popping in to say ""hhheeeeeeelloooo""

hope you heal up quick,,,

choppa

[ronnieandbill]

Hi Scott and Choppa
Never thought of a new species. Couldn't get the slippery little sucker on the scales but Was about 4 1/2 foot.

Maybe he needed a rest after a long swim. Just catching a few rays in the sun on the way to shore. Yeh right. :-?
I have seen them swim a river in freshwater but never thought they would go in salt. Learn something every day don't you. It was a good heart starter and for some one that doesn't drink--- boy could I have done with a stiff rum. ;D ;D ;D

Ronnie :-?

[PinHead]

come on..only a lil ol' snake....you could have flicked him back overboard and been on your way. I know my wife would have been where you were in that situation.

[Feral]

Had an encounter with a snake yesterday, came in over the transom, as it was heading for the floor, gave it the flick with the but of a rod! Had no idea they could come in like that, but apparently it is a reasonably common occurance for a snake to try and get into a boat.

[ronnieandbill]

One little snake to much. If I ever got biten it wouldn't be the bite to kill me it would be the shock. I hate snakes of any kind, and the only good one would be one of the deceased kind. :-? :-/ :-X. I never said that???
Maybe Snakecatcher would of been a good bloke to have on Board???????????????????? ;D

[el_carpo]

;) ;D

Funny post! Reminded me of the classic scene.......

[rayken1938]

Its a fairly common and dangerous situation. Has happened to me twice at lake sampsonvale and once rescued fellow fisherman who had spent 4 hours standing on the bow of his tinney with a snake on board. They actually seem to change course to come to your boat and will follow if you move.
Ray

[mitch_05]

I would've ben exactly where you were!! :o

[themisses]

Any size boat is not big enought for me and a snake!!
Cheers Kim. :o

[snakecatcher]

Love the story!

Fabulous snake red bellies - used to enjoy getting them when I lived in Sydney, really common down there but less so up here as the cane toads have killed a lot of them off.

[Argle]

I had a red belly black approach the tinny me and the missus were fishing in down the Clyde River many years back, I stood up and held up an oar as if to say "sod off you git this is MY boat" fortunately the snake took the hint and swam off. It was amazing how quick he was in the water though. Glad you survived your encounter, better luck next trip!

Cheers and Beers
Scott

[Trinny]

oh no! I'm so scared of snakes if that happened to me i would be out of there quick smart! you have scared me away from boats now!

J - bird

[Great_White]

Hi Ronnieh, good story :o :o :o I didn't know that snakes liked a dip :) (unless they were sea snakes)

Good to see you had a person help you out.

Peter :) :) :)

[Black_Rat]

A few years ago on a holiday at Yamba I saw red bellie black swimming in the Clarence towards the bank were I was fishing from. Only a little fella but after that I made sure every zip on the tent was shut tight #;D

[Tony_N]

Love the story!

Fabulous snake red bellies - used to enjoy getting them when I lived in Sydney, really common down there but less so up here as the cane toads have killed a lot of them off.

I've been told before that the black snake population has taken a pounding from the toads and that (at least here on the FNCNSW) the brown snake population has increased dramatically. Apparently they are less likely to eat toads and with the blacks gone there is less competition for food, giving the browns an unnatural advantage.

Years ago I was bitten by a RB Black (barefoot and pissed in the dark :P) which I deserved, but it was a better outcome than being bitten by a brown which is a more likely outcome these days..

[snakecatcher]

Hi Tony_N,

Bummer about being bitten - did you need anti-venom? As you say browns are definitely on the increase, they like open farmland and all the rodents attracted to farms so are cashing in big time. Browns are definitely worse than red-bellies, much more aggressive and more potent venom, short fangs though which isn't much of a comfort if you get bitten by one.

Mike

[rayken1938]

Official response from Qld National Parks and Wildlife.
Dear Raymond

Thank you for your email enquiry.

After consulting a Senior Ranger from QPWS, the best advice we can provide is for you to contact a qualified snake catcher in your area so they can safely remove the snake from your boat and release the snake into an appropriate area.

The snake catchers in your local area are:

Geoff on 0402 016 220
Peter on 0417 616 208

Hoping this information is of some assistance.

Best regards
Lisa

EPA Customer Service Centre
Environmental Protection Agency
Ph: (07) 3227 8185
I wonder if they can swim. Maybe better ringing 000 that is if your mobile is in range,
Ray

[Haji-Baba]

Sailing down the Bribie Passage years ago well out from shore towards the "Blinker" had a very large brown trying to make a land fall on the yacht. He did not have the speed to catch us but he was trying hard.
I actually felt sorry for him as he was not goin to make it.
Probably came off a log or some flood debris after a wet.

Have fun Haji-Baba

[rando]

Red - bellied black snakes are usually quite reluctant to bite and are not as toxic as some other aussie snakes. ( according to Dr Rick Shine australias foremost authority on snakes)

Having said that, you w'ont get me messing with one ;D ;D ;D

Great story, hope the sunburns heals without too much discomfort.

[S.S.]

We had a snake come on board while fishing the Daly River. # My immediate reaction was to jump out of the boat (yes, I'm a pretty courageous sort of gal # ::) ) but then lo and behold.... what's even bigger and nastier in N.T. waters??? # Thankfully it was coaxed out with the butt of a rod. #Rather deal with a snake than a croc!!

When the father-in-law used to cut timber in the bush he was chased by a red bellied black.... he reckons he's never run as fast in his life. #He reckons they're b**tards of things # #;D

[PinHead]

I have no problem dealing with snakes at all...just don't stick any of those ugly spiders like huntsman and those big tree spiders near me..ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[gunna]

I have no problem dealing with snakes at all...just don't stick any of those ugly spiders like huntsman and those big tree spiders near me..ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Lucky you don't spend half your time crawling round in ceilings ;D ;D ;D

[PinHead]

I have no problem dealing with snakes at all...just don't stick any of those ugly spiders like huntsman and those big tree spiders near me..ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Lucky you don't spend half your time crawling round in ceilings #;D ;D ;D


LOL..mate, it is very rare to encounter live spiders in ceiling spaces..I have had encounters with a couple of carpet snakes, some possums and numerous mice and rats

[mines_bigger]

really good laugh hopefully i dont have that sort of excitement with a snake anytime soon

[ronnieandbill]

Hi All
Never thought you guys would post so many replies. Hope this story made a few of you laugh.
I can now but at the time I wasn't. I have a phobia beyond imagination of snakes and I am still surprised I stayed on board.
I forgot to thank the four guys in the tinny to who came along side and wanted to know what was going on. As soon as I mentioned black snake I have never seen a tinny get up on the plane so fast in all my life.

Now the serious stuff-------- Just for the conservation bit guys I have heard that the numbers of black snakes have certainly dropped in recent times. Even though they are not my favorite thing It is sad that we are losing any kind of wildlife native to this state or country.
We should all do our bit to preserve what is naturally ours whether it be a snake or a fish, a piece of bush or anything that is uniquely ours.
I know I mentioned dead snake but that was just talking.,. I'd never get close enough to harm one anyway.
It was only doing what was natural.
We will all be mindful of watching that snake in the water if we ever come across one on our boats.

Thanks Guys and Girls

[S.S.]

I have no problem dealing with snakes at all...just don't stick any of those ugly spiders like huntsman and those big tree spiders near me..ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww


That's what Baygon is for!!!!!! ;D

[grey_inflatable]

hi guys similar thing happend when my father and brother and i , were in my rubber rucky when we saw a 3m+ carpet snake swimming across the river towards us, the head was highter than the side of the boat as it swam with my brother at the helm , he panicked, and steered us into the mud as we got a good view of the snake and a stalled motor , but luckly the sight of the three of us jumping around did not look too inviting. but i've seen a few snakes at nudgee beach big ones.

[Tony_N]

Hi Tony_N,

Bummer about being bitten - did you need anti-venom? *snip*
Mike


I went to Casualty and they put a plug into my vein in case I needed anti-venene. Because it was dark, and because of the degree of my inebriation, I couldn't tell them what had bitten me. Anyway no ant-venene required. Threw up until I felt hairs in the back of my throat (thanks Muzz for that one) and got a black line from the bite to my groin. OK the next morning to go home.

The snake was hanging around the house the next day and I caught him with a stick and rope lassoo thing I made up for getting brown tree snakes and carpet snakes out of the house. Since then I have been a bit more careful where I walk with bare feet.

[Haji-Baba]

Best way to remove any snake from a boat is with a shotgun.
Place the barrel close to his head and pull the trigger.
The closer you get the smaller the hole in the bottom and any one can top a small leak like that. Works every time.\\


:P :P Have fun Haji-Baba

[Mozza]

:D :D

What?

No pic?

No Bragmat?

What is this world coming to.....

Mozza

[Reef_fisher]

You missed the catch of the day. Red bellied blacks taste great. Used to eat them all the time when camping, yum.

[robyoung1]

They do chase boats, well kinda chase them.
I was at Bjlke peterson dam some years back in a very small tinny. We saw a very large brown snake in the water as we trolled along. As we came close (not intentional, just crossing paths as it were), the bugger figured he'd hitch-hike and made straight for us and was raising it's head when I took to it with the oar! We'd have likely just outrun it if possible, but my mate's boat was very, very slow. Home made steel thing with a small motor. We did try to outrun it for a short while but it had the goods on us.

Unreal, as we were right out in the open. the only possible place it could have been headed was the complete opposite side in the main basin.
Gave me plenty to think about.

cheers
rob