My Hobie is a Gopher Magnet

Had a climb aboard while bass fishing with my son yesterday. Cold water, warm yak. On your way...............

Very cool.

Mooch will love this post.

nice. Lucky it was'nt a rattler!

nice. Lucky it wasn't a rattler!

.... or a water moccasin.  Nice pics.

Really cool!

that's a nice specimen of the gopher getting variety!

Was that a catch and release or a boarding and release?  By the way, how big was it?  That doesn't count for AOTY!!!!!!!!

AOTY..HAHA, Good one.

That is a sweet snake.  I believe that is a bull snake though, not a gopher.  Gopher snakes have vertical striping aka it runs along/parallel to their body not in a banding or diamond pattern.  I grew up in Eastern Washington and we would catch 6 footers along the side of the road where they would be chilling under old plywood / road debris.  To this day I will halt traffic and chase them off of local roads to make sure they don't get run over.  The key to telling between a rattler and a bull is the head.  If it has a viper head aka diamond shape, you know it is a rattler even if it doesn't have a rattle, which is not that uncommon.  Bull snakes "hiss" and twitch their tails, but the sleek bullet head gives them away.

That is a sweet snake.  I believe that is a bull snake though, not a gopher.  Gopher snakes have vertical striping aka it runs along/parallel to their body not in a banding or diamond pattern.  I grew up in Eastern Washington and we would catch 6 footers along the side of the road where they would be chilling under old plywood / road debris.  To this day I will halt traffic and chase them off of local roads to make sure they don't get run over.  The key to telling between a rattler and a bull is the head.  If it has a viper head aka diamond shape, you know it is a rattler even if it doesn't have a rattle, which is not that uncommon.  Bull snakes "hiss" and twitch their tails, but the sleek bullet head gives them away.

gopher snakes are a subspecies of bull snakes

Cool didn't know that!  I just remember the distinct pattern of gopher snakes from tromping around Joshua Tree in SoCal and running across them.  I had never seen the parallel pattern and was used to the pattern of bull snakes seen in the OP's post.  Another super cool snake that I used to see every now and then in SoCal is the red coachwhip:



Those are awesome when they have their pink/rose coloring.  I used to see them at Lake Perris along the shoreline.

EDIT:  After looking up CA Snakes I think I am actually confusing what I thought was the gopher snake with a rosy boa, so I stand corrected!  One of the great things about kayak fishing I have noticed so far is the more intimate encounters with local wildlife compared to motor boat and/or shore fishing.  Last time out to Berryessa I saw several birds of prey, paddled up right next to a big turkey vulture and he didn;t even bother flying off, frogs, several deer including a doe with 2 fawns.  I have yet to a snake swimming around but I guess it will be only a matter of time!