Oh, yessiree they will eat fish. I'm glad they eat minnows since the DDH dumped his leftovers from fishing in my goldfish/koi pond, but I don't want them eating my babies so my DS and I captured them (5 total last year), put them in pillowcases and let them go in a cemetery near some woods. Debbie

Thanks Here's a photo of one end of the pond (the shallow end) http://silvabullets.com/maple2/target5.html The entry point for the water is a very high water table. You can strike water wityh a post-hole digger around here. I think it is becoming a marsh becasue of untamed growth. We believe the pond was dug to connect to bay and create a crab inlet or perhaps for fill dirt on an adjacent property. It has been left alone for at least 10 year, maybe longer

Few things here: Wayne- In the Spartanburg area, you have intergrade midlandxnorthern watersnakes - although based on personal experience they appear to be much more northern in appearance and lack the brighter coloration of midlands. N. fasciata are not found in the piedmont. Anne - Both of those snakes in the photograph you showed are actually Eastern Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) - though the one one the right has more vivid stripes, it is just exhibiting some of the extreme pattern variability that gartersnakes have. Ribbon snakes are much thinner, the stripes are more bold and they lack the extra lateral mottling that you can clearly see in the photograph. John (PA) - Its pretty likely that the snake you had swim between your legs was a Nerodia (Watersnake). The behavior and everything you described add up to Nerodia. I have never heard of copperheads feeding in the manner you described but it is typical of watersnakes. Large watersnakes often have pretty wide heads that you describe as "spade-like" 1sst - I was thinking milk snake as well. I saw a good number of these when I lived in Greenville and they do occasionally venture near ponds. I ran into several juveniles while out on frog walks in the middle of the night during spring rains. A few possibilities (non-exclusive) based on color mainly, since most snakes will enter or go near water during times of heat/drought which is being experienced in SC right now: milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) corn snake (Pantherophis guttata) eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

Thanks for the info - it helped me locate a link with many types of fresh water pond snails. I think this snail is in the family Physidae. Here is a link that might be useful: Pond Snails