Kerr Lake fishing and holiday FAQ's

American Fishing Holidays

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THINGS THAT BITE OR GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
north carolina snakes and spiders, north carolina fishing, brown recluse

I guess the first point to emphasise is that you are statistically more likely to die from being struck by lightening or a drunk driver on the M1 than you are by being killed by something that crawls but it still pays to be aware of what might be around in an unfamiliar environment. During our last trip which lasted about a month, the only thing that bit any of us were the usual mosquito's ........ and to be frank I've encountered a lot worse from the midges around Loch Lomond. The one exception was a small snake that bit my foot which was due entirely to my stupid habit of wandering around barefoot in the undergrowth at the waters edge sneaking up on Carp and Gar. Bloody idiotic when you think about it. Still, there was no pain from whatever it was and no after effects other than an annoying itch that lasted about 24hrs.

Considering that I also have the habit of poking sticks down holes and looking for anything odd that I haven't seen before and playing with it I reckon that to have only suffered the odd mosquito bite is testament to the fact that North Carolina is quite safe.

There are snakes however and although you probably won't see any you should play safe and avoid any you come across. In total there are in theory 37 different species of which six are poisonous. It would not be practical here to go into great detail about identification as it would get too confusing but there are a couple of easy ways to tell a poisonous snake from a non-poisonous one, Firstly is the shape of the pupil which is quite distinctive and easy to see. A poisonous snake has eyes like a cat with a distinct slit shape whilst the harmless ones have round human style pupils. Secondly almost all the ones to avoid are Pit Vipers and these have a very noticeable pit or hole between the eye and the nostril. These are heat sensors to help locate their prey. There is a national hotline number which we include in your information pack which you can ring if the worst happened and there's plenty of help around so no need to be too concerned. Just use your common sense. Don't go around bare foot and don't try to pick up or play with anything. Snakes in general are very shy and will go out of their way to avoid you. Follow some simple rules, for instance, don't roll logs over or go sticking your hands in the undergrowth. Be aware before sitting down on tree stumps and stuff. Whilst this place is certainly not dangerous remember than you are not in the Cotswolds or Sherwood forest so be a little cautious. Again, I have seen and handled more adders in Devon than I have seen poisonous snakes in North Carolina ! Just take a little care and you'll be fine.

The next subject that I get asked about a lot is spiders and there are two species that you could come across. There are a others, some quite large but they are harmless if dramatic to look at. Incidentally, you will see what looks like huge webs in some of the trees that look like something from a horror movie but there's no cause for alarm as they are actually made by caterpillars !
The first of the two spiders to avoid is the Brown Recluse. You'd be lucky to see one of these in the Kerr area as I looked everywhere and couldn't find one.

Brown Recluse

Their habits are as the name implies, reclusive, and go out of their way to avoid any noise or disturbance. They are also non-aggressive so they are not going to leap from the trees and drag you off into the sunset to wrap you up and store you for later. Apparently despite all the myths and alarm surrounding their discovery in Carolina, according to the State Department of Entomology there is not a single case of anyone actually dying from a bite by one of these.
When bites have occurred it's usually when someone has gone digging around the junk in a garage or clothes that have been stored and left for a few months. I went off into all sorts of undisturbed areas and couldn't find one but they are in the area. A bite from one of these has different effects on different people. As always, the very young and the very old would suffer the worst but many reasonably healthy adults have little more than a small red mark and an aching sensation that only lasts a short time. Others suffer a much more painful result and can become quite ill for a few days with heavy sweating, vomiting etc but it usually passes without medical treatment. If you do get bitten by anything though it will always pay to seek advice in case you get an adverse reaction.

There is also the chance the bite may become infected. The venom kills off the skin around the bite and can get quite nasty in some cases. The best action to take is to put on a cold compress and ring one of the helpline numbers in the information pack. Whilst even the likes of babies crawling around in other parts of the state where there are heavy infestations rarely get bitten, don't take any chances. Be a little more watchful that you would be at home.

The other species that strikes fear into the hearts of otherwise sensible people is the

Black Widow

Quite why most people, whether they admit it or not, are terrified of spiders is a complete mystery especially in the UK as there simply are not any that can harm you. This little girl however could potentially do you some damage. First lets dispel a few myths before you all disappear over the horizon.

A bite from one of these does not mean instant death !!! In other parts of the world I have been bitten twice by these, once whilst handling one and the other by rolling on it whilst camping, and on each occasion the symptoms were very uncomfortable to say the least, but not life threatening. At first you may not even know you have been bitten but as time progresses the limb that got munched can become partially paralysed followed by severe abdominal pain, sweating profusely etc.

There are other symptoms, for a start all your hair drops out, your eyes swell to the size of tennis balls and roll onto your cheeks, puss oozes from every orifice and your dangly bits drop off .......
Only kidding, it's just that I find it hard to understand the fear attached to something so small and rarely seen.
They are dangerous to some and can be fatal if not treated but if you obey some simple rules in the same way that you wouldn't cross a motorway in front of a truck you'll be fine.
Juvenile Black Widows and all the males are not even poisonous. It is only the mature females that have a distinctive ' hour glass ' red shape on their backs that can cause potentially serious harm. The venom is more powerful than say a Rattlesnake but there is very little of it so the effects are dramatically reduced. If you happen to be a male spider reading this for reference you might also take comfort from the fact that if you were to get the pants off of one of these having used a suitable chat up line, the odds on being eaten are small as they just do not devour every male they mate with, just the odd one now and again, based on performance perhaps ?

Anyway, having looked just about everywhere I've fished Kerr for one of these I have only found three and they were well out of the way in the woods. As a precaution though you should get into a simple routine of shaking any clothes before putting them on, check your shoes and boots etc. Widows usually hang upside down in their webs under ledges and anywhere they won't be disturbed so, as with the Brown recluse, be careful where you put your hands or wear gloves if clearing a swim and check anything before you sit on it especially logs and tree stumps or under tables, shelves etc.

In summary just take a little care and be aware of this fantastic unspoilt environment. Most of the picnic areas which have loads of fishing opportunities, are well groomed and unlikely to hold anything dangerous but if you do take young children use your common sense and keep an eye on them in the wilder parts.
If you're at all concerned just contact us for more information.
The one easy way to avoid any contact and enjoy the best fishing is simply to use a boat which just about solves everything anyway.