Thunderstorms: What Do You Do?

[scel]

I was a little surprised to find out that the riskiest activity to undertake during a thunderstorm is fishing. I do not spend a great deal of time worrying about lightning striking me, but waving a large carbon rod during an electrical storm does make me a little nervous. In the US, in the last 7 years there have been 238 deaths by lightning. 64% of those (152) were undertaking leisure activities.

 

Of the 152:

26 were fishing

15 were camping

14 were boating

12 were playing soccer

8 were playing golf

(the rest are distributed in other activities)

SOURCE: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2013/20130624_lightningsafety.html

 

If I get caught in a thunderstorm, I usually lay my rod down and tuck myself in the bank and wait it out.

 

What do you do?

[fishinglibin]

Same, or if near by, go to my truck

[EveretteD]

been caught in a few on the lake or the river in my pontoon.. i find shore. leave my rod and find a low spot and just wait it out.... been a couple times it got a little scary.. makes for an interesting day/story.

[Sean84]

It would depend where i am if im in the open on a stream ill put my rod down and take cover close to a bank. if im in the woods ill put my rod down and take shelter under a tree. But only if its a densly wooded area. Or head back to the truck and wait it out.

[FlyFishingEMT]

I was out a couple weeks ago when a storm came in and I actually got zapped by my rod on the walk back to the truck. I dropped it and kind of just stared at it trying to decide if I should just leave it there. I picked it up and continued back but I think next time soon as I see any sign of lightning I will tear my rod down before I start walking.

[hybridfive]

Was fishing a month or so ago with Murray, we were coming back on the boat and i had a few good shocks through the graphite. Took me a few minutes to realize what was going on aswell. It was fine on the cork obviously. Changed me way of thinking about fishing in a storm tho!

 

Edit: Just a few seconds, not Minutes

[pipercub17]

brake out the bamboo rod and keep fishing lol

[SilverDoctor]

Graphite is an incredible conductor. Fishing with my brother a few years ago a storm came in and his fly rod started to make clicking noises. Not a good situation, he dropped it and we sheltered under some trees. Storm hit right away. He no longer uses the rod as he says it just dosn't cast the same..

[alan2]

I usually keep fishing when I'm along a stream/river where there are tall trees, the rationale being that lightning would hit the taller objects first and I would merely be crushed by the falling debris instead.

[Muffin]

Crushing or electrocution hmmmm tough calls.

[Harps]

http://www.onthewater.com/assets/lightning-fly-rod.jpg

 

I saw a better picture on the web some years ago... I'd rather risk a broken rod tip than that, althouhg to is easier to put that in a box to send to Sage for repairs...

 

Charges from the ground will reach upward from multiple places trying to connect with charges in the cloud. Don't be one of them!

If you feel "tingling" in your rod (man I actually typed that?!?), drop you rod and crouch. You want to stay low and minimize your contact with the ground, just in case there is a strike near you. Tuck your head down and stay low!
Also try to stay away from wire fences and all the tall objects! The last thing you want is to be part of a path for the lightning- whether it is along a wire or down a tree or tower.

[FraserN]

I have been caught in several storms over the years. The worst was on the the bow near Cochrane, where I almost got struck by lightning. I tend to stick it out and keep fishing. The latest incident was last week on the Oldman, where a nasty storm rolled in and I was trapped on a bar in mid river. I did decide to stop when the lightning flashed all around me. The water had risen from all the rain, so wading the swollen side channel to the bank was fun. I waited it out under a tree. I don't need to catch fish that bad anymore, so it is best to deal with storms by quitting for a while.

[dutchie]

what to do

 

all one needs to do is take a few mins and stop at the lighting hole on the bow , see and read that sign on the tree , it's enough to make you understand about fishing in a lighting storm

[scel]

Sweet. This kind of posting is what makes message boards of unrivaled usefulness---sharing of practical experience from a diverse group of people.

 

Where is this lightning hole?

[bcubed]

It's probably in Saskatchewan now... It was a few clicks upstream from the Highwood, across the river from the end of buffalo jump island.

 

I don't think the tree survived the flood

[reevesr1]

I always carry a 1 iron which doubles as a walking stick. With lightening around, I hold it up in the air because according to Lee Trevino (who has been struck by lightening, so he should know) "even God can't hit a 1 iron".

[fishinglibin]

I was on the river the day the man died from lightning, and not far away. Don't screw with Mother Nature, as she always wins. It makes sense to lay the rod down, but up to this point, i had not broken down my rod, (makes so much sense and did not think of it). So great topic, as it is always good to gather smart info. Play Safe.

[Hawgstoppah]

As suggested lay low, stay away from tall objects (including trees) and barbed wire type fences... electricity can travel a great distance through barbed wire... and hands and arms over your head especially in hail situations. Been through some really nasty ones myself, best to put the rods down, find a safe place, wait it out and if possible enjoy the show.

[Jayhad]

I typiclly stand on my seat waving my rod, cursing the god of thunder, Thor