When at the age of 16, my cousin wanted to go crappie fishing with me one night. No problem, I kept a flat bottom wood boat chained on the river (kept it submerged in the river to keep the wood swollen). Kerosene lantern on the bow seat and a cane pole the length of the boat, small end about the size of a broom handle, wood slats in the bottom of the boat to prevent stepping through the bottom. The cane pole was to flick snakes that would wrap around the latten to warm up. Easy task, just make sure you had the center part of the snake one flick and gone. Weighted cattle food sack to put the crappie in other wise you have snakes trying to eat fish on a stringer. To make a long story short, my cousin wanted to try to flick a snake out, no problem just make sure you get the center balanced part of the snake. No he just put the pole in, flicked the pole in the river, snake in the bottom of the boat (mad). With wood slats in the bottom of the boat, you still had water in the bottom and you carried a coffee can to bail every once in a while, MY COUSIN pulls out a 38 (I did not know that he had it, one reason if I did he would not go or leave the gun in the car), 6 SHOTS into the bottom of the boat. Now the lantern is floating down the river (no other light on the boat) we are standing/squatting on the seats, cannot see or hear due the 6 BRIGHT FLASHES and LOUD SHOTS into the BOTTOM OF THE BOAT. Cut the anchor rope start paddling to the bank, I am mad, snake is mad and trying to get vision back after bright flashes on a dark river, reached the bank jumped to the shore and told (YELLED SOME VERY OFF COLOR WORDS) my cousin he was on his on. Bullet holes basically swelled back up after keeping wet all the time, lost the feed sack full of crappie, lost the lantern and had to come back the next day and tar the holes. Last time my cousin went any where with me.
cq