Red River Questions

Planning on doing trip down to the red in April for about a week. Had two questions. One being how the weather typically turns out down there for the month of april, is it cold, wet, warm, sunny, etc. Second question, I've heard many rumors and horror stories of people reaching into jugs or cracks and getting a hand full of brown recluse or getting bitten by a copperhead. Are these horror stories for the most part true? Or are they just rumors. 

The weather could be anything, on average its very nice in April, but it could be cold, wet, warm and/or sunny.  You should be able to find somewhere to climb in any of those conditions.  I don't think you should be too concerned about the snakes and spiders, they're certainly around but are not a concern.

As mentioned above, weather can--and likely will--do almost anything there in April, but more likely to be sunny and mild more of the time than anything else. I have been down there several times during April--usually for a week at a time--and mostly have had decent climbing conditions.

Overall I've made over a dozen trips there covering about a 20 year time frame and have never had an encounter with either a poisonous snake or insect--though have seen quite a few closer to home in the Gunks and Connecticut. Yes, they are around, but tend to be shy and to avoid human contact. I've never heard of anyone finding a snake in a hold there, though imagine it could happen. I'm pretty 'snake phobic', but that has never been a deterrent for me heading to the Red.

I've only been to the Red once a few years back.  There were 2 copperheads that came out to sun themselves literally 5 ft from the belay on Kentucky Pinstripes (10a). It was kinda cool, they were pretty mellow.  Also, while lowering off of another route (Robotic Thumb, 10b?), I saw a copperhead nestled in a pocket, probably 20ft off the ground.  The pocket was way off route though and only noticed it because I was swinging around a bit check out the rock.  I was there mid-June.

I've seen a copperhead inside a slot pocket of a route at the Red once (at the start of Ruby Slippers at Emerald City, about 10-12 years ago). I've seen plenty of copperheads over the years, on/near the trails, sunning on the rocks, etc. It has never been a deterrent for going climbing at the Red. Some years they seem more abundant, other years you barely ever see them. But in general, they don't want to interact with you. I wouldn't say that RRG is the worst climbing place for copperheads in the Eastern US, or the worst place for poisonous snakes in the world, by a large margin.

And as others have said, you might as well ask a magic ball for weather predictions at this point, but it is a reasonable time to make plans for a trip to the Red. It will be probably warm. It will probably rain at least a couple of days. 

I know one person who has been bitten by a copperhead, and they were bushwacking in sandals at the time.

I go there multiple times every year.  I've seen copperheads and last year timber rattlesnake at the base of my climb (Hippocrite at the Zoo).  It just made me not want to fall even more!  That being said, if your eyes are open and aware this isn't a problem.  Snakes don't really like people and are usually hiding during the day which is why 9 out of 10 times you won't see one.  You never know about April weather, just keep checking in advance.  If you climb hard there are plenty of overhung routes that will stay dry in rain.