sorry Ern, hh check above post please...
My family lives on Currituck Sound (brackish water) in northeastern NC. Many years ago when they first moved there my parents were out fishing in one of the canals that connect to the sound. A cottonmouth came after their boat and was repeatedly striking the boat as my daddy wailed on it with the boat oar. He finally was able to drive it off, but from then on he never went fishing without his pistol that was loaded with snakeshot.