A snake in the grass!

[Dylan8i]

haha yeah i know.... i guess you can see in that picture, but i'm also wearing sandals :-P

[Sushigaijin]

some things to remember about hooking snakes:

easiest way to keep them where you want them is by not using a hook. I try to not even touch them with the hook if I don't need to, the less contact the better. Coppers tend to get flighty when overly harrassed and hot. If they aren't blazing hot yet, they will just sit still and pose for photos anyway, no need for contact or a hook. I use a hook mainly for peeling back artificial cover (AC) without putting my hands in the line of fire. In short, I am suggesting that you let the snake do what it is doing before you try to hook it, you might be pleasantly surprised by their cooperativeness.

Pit vipers are also extremely fast at getting back over themselves, so be exceedingly careful if you plan on tailing any. I personally have a viper no-touch rule, If I can't handle it with a pair of tongs and a hook, or a tong and a tube, I won't mess with it.

Nice shots of a pretty snake. The setting sun looks great.