The stickmarsh is full of big bass.

And the snakes they dine on.

Photo courtesy of SteveP

Interesting.  Was the snake still alive?

Interesting. Was the snake still alive?

Most likely drowned  and digesting is starting on the head  ,Tail looks lifeless usally they will wrap and twist

Once saw a little snake in a black widow web (by my a/c unit). Guess the snake thought he had an easy meal and became the main course himself.

Guess you know what color scheme to use now.

I hate snakes and might have dropped or thrown the fish if that happened to me.  I seriously turn into a little school girl around any snakes.

great photo.....

how'd you manage to catch it while it was still trying to eat that???

(greedy fish, eh.....)

Doug Hannon: SEE..... I TOLD YOU GUYS!!!!!!!

Snakes sticking out of fish and black widows on window ac units?? :-? SCREW THAT!!

The northern winters are looking better all the time

My dad and I were floating down the Mobile River, and I noticed a snake hanging down from a tree, and going into the water.  I said, "Look at that snake."  We watched it.  It was about 4-5 feet long.  Just then a huge bass came up out of the water and blew up on that snake...  Ripped him out of the tree.  We both looked at each other like "WHOA!"  I'll never forget that.

That's pretty wicked! Pretty intense. I do believe that I would have freaked out as well.

The amazing thing to me is that the fish was still took your bait with a snake hanging out of its throat!

    WOW!!!!!!!!!!!  You are right you don't see that everyday.

Excellent photo, Avid.  That is cool, thanks for sharing.  

Now that you've broached the topic of bass eating snakes, I'd like to comment.   You don't see it very often because it doesn't happen very often.   And I think that's what makes your photo all the more interesting.  

Despite what some high-profile professional fisherman/commentator would have you believe, snakes aren't regular forage for bass.  There's several reasons, not the least of which is that they are very hard for a bass to swallow.  

Also, some water snakes can absorb oxygen through the skin (transcutaneously).   They can stay submerged for quite a long time.  Some even hibernate under water.  That, along with their robust build, makes them a tough prey item.  

Lastly, attempting to feed on the wrong species is a death-sentence for a bass.   A neonate Cottonmouth can kill a bass dead in short order.   And there is some thought that even common watersnakes (Nerodia) produce a protien (a C-type lectin) found in their salivia that is toxic or heavily sedating to fish.  Fish seem to go limp very quickly after being bitten by watersnakes.  

I tend to think bass will, for the most part, avoid snakes.  There will always be the instance where they strike out of reaction, or their wiring is such that they will take a snake regardless of the danger.  But I think it's rare.  

Again, great photo.  

The amazing thing to me is that the fish was still took your bait with a snake hanging out of its throat!

x2!

I caught a bass the other day with like a 9-10" senko style worm sticking outta it's gut. Might as well have been a snake! I think he wanted you to get it out of his mouth for him! ;D

Those guys will eat anything that moves!  Gotta love 'em.

stellar pic

Great report and information for us all, especially what Micro wrote.

Thanks for sharing.  

The fact that the bass still hit the bait with the snake in its mouth is not suprising. A bass has a very slow digestive system, believe it or not very similar to a wolverine. It will often gorge itself in an attempt to satisfy its hunger. How many times have we cleaned a bass and seen several perch, artificial lures or some other prey in its stomach all at the same time. Bass by design are simply eating machines and thats why we love to catch them !

Thanks for the pic Avid. Micro, thanks for the explanation. Couldn't count the number of times I've heard "you won't see any small snakes where there are big bass". In all the time I've been fishing, I've NEVER seen a bass hit a swimming snake...

skillet

Never saw that before, They will eat anything.

sweet photo. i really was wanting to know if the snake imitations worked

voracious indeed. i once caught a 6 pounder that had a baby duck half way down its throat.