Now that I'm a dad teaching my kids about the outdoors and often telling stories of my own, I find myself remembering the tales older gentlemen told me when I was a kid.

One in particular not-too-tall tale that keeps coming back to me:

When I was 10, I used to run hoop nets with my great uncle, who did things the old fashioned way. We got our nets (hoop, shrimp, etc) custom built by this older guy who was a genuine swamp craftsman.

Whenever we'd pick up an order, he and my uncle would enjoy a beverage or two and he'd tell stories. The one that really stuck with me was one about snakes while building I-10. The old man stated that he was on the initial construction crews building I-10 (at least I think he was talking about 1-10) across the Atchafalaya - and the cottonmouths were so aggressive that they lost tons of men to snakebite.

He said that the snakes would practically sprint at them and they were almost constantly at battle for the first few weeks. They tried carrying pistols but no one was fast or accurate enough. Eventually they all carried machetes and had to master the swing at the swimming snake.

Any chance that this was a true story?

To this day, in my mid-30's, this tale of charging cottonmouths scares the shite out of me.

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He said that the snakes would practically sprint at them

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I've seen lots of aggressive moccasins but none of them have ever "charged" or "chased" that just isn't in their nature.

Probably accurate on the number of snakes and some issues but not the attacking IMO

no just no

My favorite is the "catfish the size of Volkswagen, divers wont to down there anymore" that you hear about every dam. Now, it's usually on Facebook with a picture of a Wels cat.

Give me the machete over a pistol every time.

I believe him T.

Yup. My son was watching River Monsters or one of those shows a while back, and they were saying the exact same thing in Oklahoma some where.

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Some of the stories in Marsh Masters make me sad. Like limits before 8am for specs in the Industrial Canal, and 5-7lb specs being the norm.

That shite ain’t happening ever again.

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I don't remember 5-7lb specs being the norm.. .and this was before limits......

My brother worked summers on a survey crew for the basin bridge. He said there were a lot of snakes, but he brought home several big arse alligator snapping turtles. Good eatin'!

I watched a cotton mouth chase my dad from a ditch, across a gravel road and into his truck, and just sat under the truck. Dad went back and forth trying to run over it, under the truck, but never did. Finally, he just drove off, and said to hell with that demon snake..Any other snake, nope, they don’t track well, but put nothing past a Cotton Mouth in my experience with snakes...