While Fishing: A Slithering Surprise

A Slithering Surprise
My family lived in town, but on the weekends we usually went ‘over home’. The highlight of my summer, as a kid, was going to stay at the farm for a full week with Papaw and Granny. A boy could find a thousand things to do or do a whole lot of nothing. I chose to do a whole lot of fishing!

One morning, I decided to dig some garden flies and take a long trip down Brasstown Road and fish below the falls. I went all the way down to Mr. Luhan’s house. Mr. Luhan lived in Florida and came up, like most Floridians, to escape the summer squalor of his home state, but he had not yet arrived. There was a pond behind his house that was usually devoid of fish until he arrived and had it stocked. I decided to start fishing in the creek just above his pond, but as I passed by, I saw movement along the edges of the tarn. Fish! Big lunkers were cruising the perimeter. Mr. Luhan must have called ahead and had someone stock the pond. I wish I could say that I wrestled with the temptation, but as a boy, I didn’t hesitate. I caught and kept three trout over sixteen inches before coming to my senses and heading on upstream. I caught several little stream trout and then trekked back up to the house. Guess who was leaning against the barn talking to Papaw? Mr. Luhan! He had to have driven past his own place to come up the mountain. I quickly tossed the three big fish next to the creek below the road and continued past the men on the way to the house.

I cleaned the smaller fish from the creek. Eventually Mr. Luhan left and I trudged back out past the barn to retrieve my cache of trout. Just before I jumped down the bank to reclaim my prize, I saw a slithering surprise! A writhing mass of water snakes were feeding on the fish! I stood there, gawking in horrified amazement. I’d never seen anything like it. It was a lesson, an omen, a portent about fish thievery I never forgot!


Note: I have come to realize that water snakes like trout like portly kids like cake. Places along a stream conducive to cleaning trout are often home to water snakes. They are conditioned to stay in these areas to feed. I’ve often stuck around after cleaning my catch to watch them glide out from under rocks to claim their prize. There is a snake in one spot on the Tuckasegee River that came out while I was sitting there cleaning my fish. I hand-fed this snake the remains of my catch after he slithered up petitionary at my feet. Depending on who you are, that fact is either amazing or revolting. I thought it was pretty cool!