@perspicacious I live in Louisiana and have all my life. I have caught or killed hundreds of moccasins since I was a little boy. You are correct in that they are poisonous. We agree that they usually won’t attack unless, like your friend, you are dropped off on top of one. Cottonmouths avoid people like the plague. I once had one fall out of a tree into my boat and I couldn’t catch it because it wanted out so bad. Meagan should not avoid a lake for fear of snakes. If she (or he?) wants a reason to avoid lakes, it’s more likely to have a boating accident because of alcohol than being bitten by a snake.
Rattlesnakes on our property in AZ is a different story, but they don’t really hang around in the water.