Best Snake Hooks | Essential Information
WHAT IS THE BEST SNAKE HOOK FOR HERPING?
I just realized that I’ve never made a page for Snake Hooks that I recommend for herping in the rainforest. It’s a difficult call because there is no one snake hook that is the best for everything, and there is such a variety of snakes.
Best Snake Hooks
MIDWEST PRO-LINE 3-piece – Best Snake Hook
Al Coritz (ViperKeeper) gave me this amazing 3-piece collapsible Midwest Snake Hook when he stayed at my house for a week. We herped nightly and found a bunch of vipers – of course.
This hook is good for any snake over a couple of feet, I’d say. It’s built to handle the big stuff – like a big python – 3-4 meters, a big king cobra of the same length, or anything else that gets that big.
In Thailand there are a few snakes that get over 3 meters – the Keeled Rat Snake (Ptyas carinatus), and only a couple others.
If I had to choose a “Best Snake Hook” – this would be it. It can be used with all three pieces fitted together, or just 2, or even one – in some limited capacity. The hook is very strong and well made, and they even put a nice blue anodized coating on it. The rubber grips are large and a good idea because they facilitate gripping for handling heavy snakes.
Note: This hook also comes in 2 pieces – each section is about 20″ (51 cm.)
SNAKE HOOK SPECS
Weight: 1 pound (454 g.)
Tube Diameter: 3/4″ (2 cm.)
Single Section: 13.5 inches – you could use this way for non-venomous snakes that weren’t so bitey.
2 Section Length: 26 inches (66 cm.)
Full length: 40.5 inches (103 cm.) when fitted together.
End Foam Length: 10 inches (25 cm.) long
End Foam Diameter: 1″ (2.5 cm)
Second Piece Foam Length: 4 7/8″ (12.5 cm.)
Second Piece Foam Diameter: 1″ (2.5 cm)
Hook Gap: 2 7/8″ (7.5 cm.)
Hook Depth: 4″ (10 cm.)
[wpsm_comparison_table id=”1″ class=”center-table-align”]
I cannot find the 3-piece snake hook at the moment, but by clicking below you’ll see other hooks online.
Mark O’Shea Signature Series 40 inch Snake Hook
Midwest really makes strong hooks, whether in 2 or 3 pieces, or solid like this Mark O’Shea hook. If you’re not traveling and won’t need to take your snake hook on an airplane, you will be fine with this hook – or one of the other Midwest hooks.
SNAKE HOOK SPECS
Weight: Under 1 pound (454 g.)
Tube Diameter: 3/4″ (2 cm.)
Full length: 40 inches (102 cm.) non-collapsible
End Foam Length: 10 inches (25 cm.) long
End Foam Diameter: 1″ (2.5 cm)
Second Piece Foam Length: 4 7/8″ (12.5 cm.)
Second Piece Foam Diameter: 1″ (2.5 cm)
Hook Gap: 2 7/8″ (7.5 cm.)
Hook Depth: 4″ (10 cm.)
Hook Material: Titanium
Note on Extendable Snake Hooks
Many companies sell extendable snake hooks, and I don’t recommend any here. I wouldn’t buy one, I’d just buy the 3-piece Midwest Pro-Line hook above in every case. Why? It fits in my luggage, it’s probably a factor of 10x stronger than any extendable hook I’ve seen.
Now, don’t get me wrong because I love the lightness factor of the aluminum extendables. But, you really have to be cautious while using them not to put too heavy a load on them. You cannot use your snake hook as a walking stick – as I sometimes do.
You cannot use your hook to pull up logs or overturn rocks of any size. I have seen extendable snake hooks break a few times over the years. When they do – that’s $30-70 down the drain. Just buy a good quality hook like one of the ones above.
You are very unlikely to break it, and if you do, it’s probably because you fell on top of it. I don’t know how else it would break.
Note on Safety of Using Snake Hooks
A snake hook does not keep you safe. You keep you safe. You can be using a 40-inch or 52-inch snake hook and still get bitten by any number of snakes in Thailand.
A hook gives you some working distance, but you have to be aware all the time what is happening. Vipers can climb snake hooks. Happens all the time. Malayan kraits have climbed my snake hooks. Cobras are always ready for action.
Do be careful, and invest your time and money into paying someone to teach you about handling snakes before you go out on your own.
