Lightning Warning

Bud Kennedy · June 30, 2018, 10:20:51 AM

a couple of decades ago, while fishing a tournament in Massachusetts a strange thing happened. It was a fairly decent weather day with some clouds starting to build but no indications of an nearby storm. It was about the noon hour and the livewell had a limit of keepers and I was looking to find a kicker to cull one of the smaller fish. At this event my catches were largemouth which surprised me a bit since smallmouth are kinda the dominant species in this lake. I pulled into a cove and was throwing light tackle. I don't recall exactly but most likely a gitzet or something like that. I made a cast and was looking on the water for my line. We used small diameter mono in most cases. I could not see the line and then I noticed that the line was still in the air with the bait in the water. I had never experienced this before but I certainly was aware of the warning signs. You could actually feel the static in the air which was still another warning sign. Stowed the rod and the trolling motor and fired up the big motor and ran for the ramp as a safety thing. The ramp was a short line of sight distance from my spot. We beached the boat and as I looked back towards the spot a big lightning bolt hit the water in the area where we were fishing. I guess that qualified as a close call. Understanding the warnings that nature was giving us might have saved our lives. We did not win the event but got a check but the good thing was we lived to fish another day.

Pacific NW Ron · June 30, 2018, 11:48:03 AM

Great story and good move on your part. Good thing you were paying attention to what was happening. Yes, there are warning signs and sad to say many people ignore them.

Lipripper · June 30, 2018, 12:00:11 PM

Good call on your part Bud and like Ron said glad you listened and obeyed the warning signs or you might not be here sharing all your stuff with us today.

WTodd · June 30, 2018, 01:23:54 PM

So you didn't get to cull any fish huh?

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Wizard · June 30, 2018, 01:58:15 PM

I hate lightning. One time I had just walked off a golf green about 50 ft when a bolt hit the green. Definitely a lot of static in the air. In the early 1980's, I was fishing Stockton lake in Missouri in October. A big front was going to come through and we hoped the fishing would pick up. Stockton had little cover to go under in a storm. We were in a 15 ft tin boat when a squall line formed hours earlier than the NWS thought. Lightning and thunder were unreal. When we approached a small sand spit just out of the water, we beached the boat and lay flat on the sand. We stayed like that for a half hour until the lightning stopped. I really thought we were gong to buy the farm that day.

Wizard

DonM · June 30, 2018, 02:06:21 PM

I had a similar experience on the golf course years ago. I was about 20 feet from a large tree and preparing to hit a shot. The hairs on my arms and head started standing up. I tossed the golf club and ran for the cart. Just as I got in lightening hit that tree and split it in half. No damage, but I'm betting the rubber tires on the golf cart kept me from getting hurt or killed.

Thornback · July 01, 2018, 08:00:00 AM

Lightning kills a number of people in Florida every year. It killed my grandfather in 1930 in St. Augustine and killed my uncle in 1945 in Perry. When my dad was 18 lightning knocked him and his older brother unconscious but with no lasting damage.

Goldstar225 · July 03, 2018, 06:40:39 AM

Call me a chicken but I will not stay on the water if lightening is in the area.

SteelHorseCowboy · July 03, 2018, 08:41:14 AM

Quote from: Goldstar225 on July 03, 2018, 06:40:39 AM
Call me a chicken but I will not stay on the water if lightening is in the area.

Haha, don't think anyone would call you a chicken for that!

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Stren_g · July 03, 2018, 10:53:50 AM

That's the type of stuff that greatly increases the ol pucker factor.....

mygreenihc · July 03, 2018, 01:51:02 PM

I am one of few people that I know who actually enjoys a good lightning show. I have never been afraid of it and like to watch it. When it gets really close, it gets my attention, but I have never once left a fishing hole because of lightning in the area. Maybe I am just a little stupid, and you guys would not be the first to agree with that. =)

After moving from the Gulf Coast to north Georgia, I very quickly picked up on the locals being terrified of lightning. The biggest frustration that I had to deal with was little league baseball. They would call the games for anything that held a remote chance to produce a lightning bolt.

Bud, I sure would have hated to be the next person that you touched after that....

Brad