Rattle snakes are still out there!

[fish-on-bro]

This post is sad and has a tragic ending. Here goes. I belong to a San Diego based fly fishing club called Golden State Fly-Casters. The club does quite abit of conservation work with Trout Unlimited. This last Wednesday members from GSF and SD Fly Fishers were going to the San Diego River to take some fish tissue samples. On the hike down, one of our members, Skip Price was bitten by a rattle snake and died the same day. I know most of you never met Skip, but all of you would have welcomed him with open arms to the Addicts site. Skips passion for fishing carried through to his charity and conservation work. If he wasn't fly fishing, he was teaching boy scouts, fellow club members, and Marine Wounded Warriors the fine art of fly fishing. Skip had a true passion for life and will truly be missed. To sum things up, lets be careful out there. Rattle snakes are still around and the deserts as well as other areas of CA still have warm weather going. Skip was a very healthy man and even with anti-venom you don't know how your body will react to the snakes toxin. So just a reminder; Lets all be careful out there. Here is the link to the story that appeared on the local news top story. http://www.cbs8.com/global/story.asp?S=13334141
Skip, I'm truly going to miss you on the water my friend
Fish-on-bro, out....

[darrin terry]

So sorry to hear about your friend. Obviously, as the fall comes on and cooler weather comes with it, the odds of this kind of thing happening goes down. Still, thanks for the warning. I was trying to keep my eyes open last weekend just in case, but it can be difficult when fishing to watch for snakes.

Again, sorry about your friend.

[fflutterffly]

A very sad story for all who knew him, those who look forward to meeting him and his family.

[Rockstar Fisherman]

Wow, this is a tragedy! Sorry to hear about this, thanks for posting this Chuck. I know we're all a little less wary of them right now due to the time of year but they're still out there and it's actually still pretty darn hot out there.

[skfudge]

Wow! I don't know what to say. I have never heard of anyone going that fast from a snake bite to the foot. At least he died doing what he enjoyed. Sounds like he was a very good man that will be truly missed.

[Bernard]

So sorry to hear and condolences to Skip's family and loved ones. I have had so many close calls with rattlers that I confess that I am borderline blasé about it. This should serve as a reminder to all of us of the real threat they present.
B

[Rob909]

Wow.....I've always told myself that if I ever got bitten, to just keep my wits, don't panic, get to a vehicle and get help asap.....and everything would be alright.

Obviously not the case.

Seems odd that he went so quickly.

Condolences to his family, and to you Chuck for the loss of your friend.


Rob

[fflutterffly]

Not to be insensitive, but a rattler with a span of 1.5" puncture would have to be how long? I read that the snake simply slithered across his foot, with no warning of presence, at that it happened on the shore line of the lake. This is really a horrible ending to a wonderful life. Of course I don't care if you are doing what you love... I still not like to die. Terrible... Just Terrible.

[WanderingBlues]

I read a few of the articles out of San Diego and it's just a tragedy. A while back, I got rid of my river-runners for wet wading. I thought it was some small level of phobia that I might get struck in the foot, but this bears it out. We crash some crazy brush for our passion and need to be as prepared as possible.

My condolences to you, the family, and his flyfishing buddies.

[Benny]

Sorry to hear about this tragedy. My condolences go out to his family.

This incident makes me wonder what type of footwear he was wearing. Can a rattle snake bite through heavy leather boots?

[Sasha]

That sucks big time....... R.I.P

[fish-on-bro]

There has been more news coverage on Skip's passing and it was said they wore water shoes instead of wading boots this time, which they all said proved to be a mistake. Also before starting out to the water there is always a brief on rattle snake safety. Still, you never know.

Fish-on-bro, out....

[meb]

That's a sad story, and because most of us who fish locally have had more than a few encounters, it hits close to home. R.I.P.

MB

[rayfound]

This is a terrible tragedy. Like Rob, I've always assumed a rattlesnake bite would cost me a few really miserable days, but on balance, chances are good everything would work out OK.

I'm a bit shaken by this story. We often how its the young, drunk, and stupid who end up getting bitten by the buzztails... Most rattlesnake bites occur on the hands and lower arm... the result of people doing stupid things....

Now along comes this story. Avid Flyfisherman, knowledgeable and aware of surroundings and potential danger, is NOT fishing alone, yet he gets bitten and dies very rapidly.

I'd like to know more about the circumstances that caused a rattlesnake bite to be (almost instantly) fatal.

Much as I have enjoyed using Crocs... I think I'm going back to my Heavy-duty leather wading boots.

But really, this story is bothering me. Its just not supposed to happen this way.

[briansII]

Very sad indeed. My condolences to his family and friends. His wife said, "he died doing what he loved to do".

Ray, there was mention in one article, that this person may have been "extremely allergic" to the venom. Also, I've heard rattlesnakes can regulate the amount of venom during a bite. He may have gotten....for a lack of a better term, a full dose. I've read some cases, no venom is given during a bite. This was a terrible incident, but also a very rare one.

briansII