Lightning strikes! Fishing tops the list

[waymont]

Here's the facts:

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/expert-reveals-top-leisure-activity-for-lightning-dangers-hint-its-not-golf/764271

[Bankbeater]

That’s one thing I don’t mess with. When I hear thunder I head back to the ramp. 

[slonezp]

 

[Glenn]

Perhaps of interest...

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/lightening_fishing.html

 

[Manifestgtr]

Man, rods look really disturbing after a strike. Like a big ball of demonic hair...

[Bass Rutten]

Last spring I was fishing with a friend in his boat in a heavy mist and began feeling tingling sensations in my rod hand, then a few minutes later started feeling the tingling in my right foot too, then he started freaking out telling me  he recently seen a utoob video where this happened to someone. Ain’t messing with that, we skedaddled...

[MassYak85]

I've had to ditch my kayak on shore before because I couldn't make it back to the ramp in time. Thunderstorms can pop up quick this time of year and it's good to have a weather radar app. 

[BassNJake]

Lightning? .... No thanks, I'll beach the boat and run onshore.

I can go fishing tomorrow

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

I think it's good to move threads like this up top again from time to time. I was fishing this summer when un-forecasted lighting arrived. I beached my canoe and retreated into the woods to wait it out. It lasted for 1.5 hours, taking me into the night and even then, the rain pounded, making for a long, wet paddle home.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Back in May I got trapped in an absolutely massive lightning and thunder storm for about 2.5hrs in the middle of the night.    

 

I talked to God quite a bit during those hours.    Closest I've ever come to sinking a boat, and ruined about $300 in electrical gear but I made it home which is all that matters.  

 

 

[Catt]

[Tackleholic]

I'm curious to know if anyone believes a fishing rod could attract a lightning strike.

[Skunkmaster-k]

22 minutes ago, Catt said:

Did the people on that boat survive?

3 minutes ago, Tackleholic said:

I'm curious to know if anyone believes a fishing rod could attract a lightning strike.

I do. A year or two ago we were fishing before a storm and my fishing rod started humming. Didn’t take me long to set it down. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

20 minutes ago, Tackleholic said:

I'm curious to know if anyone believes a fishing rod could attract a lightning strike.

I actually just watched a really fascinating video on this subject

 

 

Besides the above story I told, I've had two really close incidents with lightning in the past.     I managed to get one on video where lightning struck a metal fence about 5yds from me.......beyond terrifying.

 

 

[F14A-B]

Absolutely lightning can find our graphite & carbon rods. I surveyed for many years and if we knew or heard thunder within 30 miles we quit working.. live to fish/work another day. 

[A-Jay]

Pre-Frontal bassing has some risk.

During a career on the water, it was part of my job description, but not anymore.

Mostly.

A-Jay

[Catt]

@Skunkmaster-k Nope 

[geo g]

Over fourty years ago I was once with a football team at a night practice for a up coming game.  Lightning started in close proximality to the practice field.  I was the defensive coordinator, and the head coach would not call the practice.  I kept waiting to him, but after the second close call I told the defense to get off the field and head to safety.  We had a brief argument and I told him how he could justify staying out there if one of these kids got hurt.  He brought the rest of the kids off the field. 

A few years later the state governing body  made stick rules about this topic and took the decision out of the hands of the coach and into the athletic trainers control.  

Common sense is the key, and I treat fishing the same way.  When you see it, hear it, you seek selter quickly, regardless of how good the fishing is.  Not something to mess with.  When something goes bad it often is horrible.

[GreenPig]

I've been hit with 120 volts enough times to know I must be extremely allergic to lightning. I'll beach my boat, have a snack, and go back out once it's moved on.

[Fyrewulf]

I have never and will never fish in a storm or take the chance if a storm is scheduled in the area. It's not worth it. I was once on the lake in a pontoon with my wife and kids and some friends and a sudden, unexpected storm rolled in. I beached the pontoon and made everyone get off and get under some trees (everything was woodland). I'm not sure if that was the best decision, but I know being in a metal boat on water in the open with lightning had to be worse.

[rgasr63]

One time only  it took for me to learn if weather rolls up I am getting out of the water. I was fishing in a cove with my oldest son and the weather just showed up. I thought that I had enough time to get back to the boat landing because it was just a drizzle but the white caps showed up and slowed me down. We got to the landing wet and and worn out the boat had about 6 inches of water in it. I had to beach it for a couple of hours to let the storm pass. If the weather begins changing get to safety asap. 

[king fisher]

I have had days when fishing was so slow, I am positive I couldn't get hit, even by lightning.

[Den60]

You never want to be the tallest thing in the area. When in a boat, you typically are. The best thing is to bring a 1 iron because Lee Trevino, who's been hit by lightning, claims "Even God can't hit a 1 iron."

[GRiver]

Storms pop here so quickly, when I hear thunder in the distance, I’m looking at radar to see what’s going on. 
Where I fish a lot, the trees are tall and you can’t see any distance. You have keep an ear out for thunder.

  Our phones with the weather apps helps out a lot. 
It also helps having a net work of other anglers on the water, to give ya a “heads up.”