Identify this snake...

[ChaosStarter]

Yea, it's not a fish, but I figured someone on here could take a guess better than I could. It was seen near a local lake in a marshy area.

[njfisherman1975]

Common garter snake to me...

[dogfish246]

Garter snakes typically have a yellow stripe on their back... Looks like a Northern Water Snake!!!

[Ol Pedro]

Watersnake .

[catfishonthelake]

I don't think it's a garter snake. I'm pretty sure it's a common water snake. Garter snakes are a darker black with a well defined yellow stripe down the back. Water snakes look dirty like that when they're dry but are patterned when you see them in the water. You can vaguely see the pattern in that picture.

[Wilson]

Water snake, see more of them then fish on some days
And no it's not poisonous

[Tony Cav]

We use to call them black snakes...can get pretty big. Water snake

[ChaosStarter]

I was also wondering if it was getting ready to shed it's skin. It kind of looked that way as you can see by his head being a different shade from the rest of his body and almost as if his skin is starting to peel.

[Cuz]

Common water snake. Not poisonous but can give you a good infection from its saliva. They are more aggressive than a rattlesnake of copperhead. They stand their ground and are very protective of their territory. They also bite numerous times when provoked. A major part of the eco-system. Just leave it alone. I hate when humans over-react and kill snakes. They eat so many rodents and bad bugs.

[ChaosStarter]

Originally Posted by Cuz

Common water snake. Not poisonous but can give you a good infection from its saliva. They are more aggressive than a rattlesnake of copperhead. They stand their ground and are very protective of their territory. They also bite numerous times when provoked. A major part of the eco-system. Just leave it alone. I hate when humans over-react and kill snakes. They eat so many rodents and bad bugs.

Don't worry, left it alone. Just spotted it, took the picture and kept on walking.