Each year there are about 7,000 victims of snakebites in the United States, which occur mostly in the summer season. Poisonous snakebies are very serious medical emergencies. It usually takes several hours for snake venom to kill. Snakebites can cause severe local tissue damage and often require follow-up care. Poisonous snakebites include bites by any of the following "pit viper" snakes: rattlesnake, copperhead, water moccasin, cottonmouth, and coral snake.

Bites from those mentioned, and other poisonous snakes may include the following symptoms: bloody wound discharge, severe localized pain, skin discoloration, swelling at the site of the bite, numbness, tingling, localized tissue death, increased thirst, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, rapid pulse, excessive sweating, weakness, loss of muscle coordination, blurred vision, dizziness, fainting, and convulsions. If the area of the bite begins to swell and change color, the snake was probably poisonous.

There are a few things you DON'T want to do if someone has been bitten by a poisonous snake.
* DON'T allow the victim to exercise. If necessary, carry the victim to safety.
* DON'T apply a tourniquet.
* DON'T apply cold compresses to a snakebite.
* DON'T cut into a snakebite.
* DON'T give the victim stimulants or pain medications unless instructed to do so by a doctor.
* DON'T give the victim anything by mouth.
* DON'T raise the site of the bite above the level of the victim's heart.
* DON'T try to suction the venom--doing so may cause more harm than good.

Here are a few things you could do for the victim until health care can be acquired.
* Keep the victim calm, restrict movement, and keep the affected are below heart level to reduce the flow of venom.
* Wash the bite with soap and water.
* Remove any rings or constricting items; the affected area may swell.
* Cover the bite with a clean,cool compress or a clean,moist dressing to reduce swelling & discomfort.
* Monitor the vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure) of the victim. If there are signs of shock (such as paleness), lay the victim flat, raise the feet about a foot, and cover the victim with a blanket.
* Get medical help immediately!
* Bring in the dead snake if this can be done without risk of further injury.

Last, but not least, here's a few ways of preventing snakebites:
* Even though most snakes are not poisonous, avoid picking up or playing with any snake unless you have been properly trained.
* When hiking in an area known to have snakes, wear long pants and boots if possible.
* Do not thrust hands or feet into any areas if you cannot see into the area.
* Tap ahead of you with a walking stick before entering an area with an obscured view of your feet. Snakes will attempt to avoid you if given adequate warning.
Kenny S.

This is late spring, but the weather has been grungy and the only constant has been change here in the midwest. But it's really no different than anywhere else (except in California, which is really different anyway, because they have very little shallow or even muddy water.)
Sky and water conditions can point you in the right direction for good fishing. I love grungy, overcast, drizzly days. I make it a point to start fishing shallow. If the wind is blowing toward shallow flats or stump fields, I fish them first, especially in the spring. Lots of people I know stay away from shallow, muddy water.
My favorite lures include the spinnerbait and buzzbait, shallow-and-medium-running crankbaits and surface sticks. Sure, varying conditions dictate fishing them with varying techniques and speeds.
Fishing these lures across main and secondary lake points stimulates vicious attacks by bass, especially when baitfish are visibly being attacked by marauding black and white bass turning the water into a churning nightmare for baitfish.
Sometimes I've ripped the lures, sometimes I've crawled them; and I've even had bass pick a motionless Rattletrap off the bottom.
I've been in springtime tournaments where 200 hydroblasters fanned out in all directions, but the winner traveled just 150 yards in his jonboat and fished the first cove, a muddy, shallow, stumpy flat that everyone else passed up.
Most of the time you'll be able to find varying degrees of water clarity, from clear to muddy, and in between. Don't neglect any color water.
You might find that lunker with its nose right up to the wood under post-frontal conditions, in water less than a foot deep! Lunker Lures have produced 7 pound plus bass for me -- one when the water temperature was 41 degrees and muddy. The big sow was laying in 12 inches of water under a blowdown that jutted into water that was three feet deep. She inhaled the slow-moving, black lunker lure with ribbontrail trailer when it bumped the wood. What a thrill!
Fishing shallow water is fun anytime. Just remember that when a fish is shallow, it is usually feeding. Especially on grungy days.
Submitted by Jim Pankey, USN (Ret.). Winning entry of May's contest!