Each spring, if I can catch a day with low water and before things turn green, I walk the county drain that flows through our 100 acres to collect garbage. This spring the water was only a trickle with the few pools having little more than a foot of water. Picked up all kinds of cans and plastic bags, found the remains of a buck skull including antlers and kicked up something else. There was a galvanized tile drain cover that had washed a bit into the ditch. It was upside down in the deepest part of the ditch. I grabbed it and tossed it out of the water. As I lifted it something (that was underneath) violently splashed water and took off under water away from me. At first I assumed a carp or northern had worked its way up the ditch from the stream it connects to. However, (although I muddied the water a tad) I thought I saw the body of a decent size snake under the water. Any thoughts?

By the way I live in the lower thumb of the glove that is lower MI. Also, the portion of the ditch that runs through our land is bordered on both sides by open farmland. Where I encountered the critter was towards the north boundary of our land where the ditch flows into the neighboring wetish woods.

It may have been a hellbender salamander. They get huge and will hide under objects like that. Catfish will too. I would run a seine through there.

Keith

Burbot, Eelpout, Lawyer, Lush?

Loch Ness Monster

We got lawyers and lushes in inner Mi not sure about the other two. lol

All names for Burbot, depending on where you are.

Could it have been a mink?

I know just joking. Doubt it was anything like that. The ditch travels a couple miles before it really opens up and then many miles before it hits a river of lake. I have heard of pike traveling up that far to spawn have have never seen one myself.

Maybe. I have caught many a mink in this ditch over the years. When I say I thought I saw a snake body it was not because of color or detail but rather diameter of what I could see. Could have been a mink taking off in the muddy water for sure.

Its getting to be spawning time for pike and they run up shallow ditches as you have described here. It seems early but we have had warmer than normal temps and I know the pike and suckers are being found in some spawning tributaries. Unless you are sure it wasnt a pike, that would be my guess...

Midlander Thank you for your post. In my original post by this spring I met last spring. Not this spring as this spring has not happened yet. I was referring to what happened last year. The post about the dangers of southern river trapping reminded me.

No worries, but it sure feels like spring out there

"ling" is our local vernacular for 'pout

probably a pike

I would guess a fish. It sounds like it was early enough the water would be cold. Snakes do not move fast in cold and don't splash much when they move no matter how warm it is.

im guessing a aligator gar theyre the only fish i can think of that kind of looks like a snake underwater!

Bowfin maybe. They breathe air when they can't get enough from the water. They hunker down in weird places in the winter.

Muskrat and you saw tail ?

that would be my thought also
they are probably in spawn also right about now

they are very prehistoric

No Hellbenders in Michigan. The closest ones are likely in S.E. Ohio. Maybe a Dogfish (Bowfin). Although Burbot spawn in February, it would be very unusual for one to be in the ditch. Pike.....you bet, especially as goofy warm as the weather has been. Can't think of what type of snake it would be, most are not big at all.

I live about 30 miles from Lake Erie. When I was a kid we shot carp, with bow and arrows, that came up the ditches to spawn. Occasionally we would see a pike. They were swimming, probably more than 30 miles, following the ditches to spawn. I once saw a pike, at the end run of a ditch, that was in only a couple of inches of water. Half of the fish was out of water.