# Almost Hit By Lightning Fishing



## Big Doug (Apr 29, 2011)

Never in my life have I seen what happened to me on mosquito lake today.

The crappie where biting good and we could see a storm coming from the west slowly. We also could hear just a light grumble from thunder in the far far distance.

It was then that I seen the craziest thing and am glad to be alive.

We use braided power-pro with slip bobbers 15 to 20 feet behind boat with slow drift.

I began to here a buzzing sound, like that of someone getting a buzz cut at the barber.

It got faster and louder. I then noticed the two fishing poles that were set off to the side (inside the boat) about an inch apart, that were making the noise. When I picked them up I seen a faint electric static buzzing between the poles at there end. 

I dropped them knowing it had to be static and should quickly get out of there.

As I turned to the two poles I had in the water both fishing lines were 7 plus feet in the air (arched like a rainbow.)

The bobbers were getting closer as the line went higher. There was no wind at all as the buzzing got louder.

I cranked the motor and gunned it even thought the lines were still in the water.

I thought for sure I was going to get hit.

How in the world can static pull wet fishing line out of the water is beyond me.

Well, be careful out there. Even though we did not see flashes of lightning it has to start somewhere.

It could have been me in my aluminum boat.



D


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Count your blessings!.... Scary stuff especially when using graphite rods.


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## cumminsmoke (Aug 13, 2013)

Talk about cool and scary


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## StratosCaster (Apr 21, 2014)

Doug, glad to hear you made it off the water ok. I was told a simular story years ago about fishing lines arching up like that. I thought it was B.S. , but I'm a believer now!


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Happened to me over 20 years ago on Shenango lake and quite a few times since then. Hope you learned a very important lesson today. When an electrical storm is brewing, this is what happens. Always be aware of this from now on and get off the water as quick as possible. Wasn't using braid back then. When i'd cast my jig, the jig would stay in the air a while before it would come down. Second time it did it, I packed up and headed for the dock. Don't press your luck. Lightning is definetly not far away. Glad you guys got off okay.


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## bulafisherman (Apr 11, 2004)

That is scary stuff, I got caught in a horrific thunderstorm years ago out on the lake, made it to an island and rode the storm out but thought I was going to meet my maker that day.

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## Big Doug (Apr 29, 2011)

Yeah, I'm not going to try and do that "counting thing" anymore to determine how far the storm is. Once I here a grumble, I'm out of there.

I just wish them fish did not bite so good right before the storm.

D


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

My biggest fear as a fisherman is getting caught in a lightning storm. Thanks for the story.


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## ssv1761982 (Jun 2, 2004)

Glad you are not another statistic.


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## Crappiekiller17 (Jun 18, 2007)

incredibly scary, glad you made it off of the water safely!


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## sonar (Mar 20, 2005)

I too experienced the very same situation on Erie 20+ yrs. ago,,& thought at the time,,What the hell is goin on?? We packed up the show,,& headed in!! Along the way in,,Thunder Claps & Water Spouts!! Was a Hairy Day!! Glad You Made it off the water safely Doug!! ----->>>>>sonar<<<<<-----


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## Worst Fisherman EVER. (May 1, 2014)

Big Doug said:


> Never in my life have I seen what happened to me on mosquito lake today.
> 
> D


I'm so glad you lived to tell the tale. Getting hit by lightening could ruin your whole day.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

sonar said:


> I too experienced the very same situation on Erie 20+ yrs. ago,,& thought at the time,,What the hell is goin on?? We packed up the show,,& headed in!! Along the way in,,Thunder Claps & Water Spouts!! Was a Hairy Day!! Glad You Made it off the water safely Doug!! ----->>>>>sonar<<<<<-----


Had the same experience on an Erie charter perhaps 25-30 yrs. ago. To top it off, it was "after" an electrical storm which we sat out in the boat but near shore by Kelly Island! The theory was there were trees nearby on shore and being taller than us on the boat, lightning would hit them instead. Once we went back to fishing, every time we'd cast the Erie Dearies, they would hit the water but the line floating in the air wouldn't let the lure sink! Very Erie-pun intended!


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## Flippin 416 (Aug 18, 2005)

I had the exact same thing happen to me on Mosquito two years ago during a summertime tournament. We had just moved down the lake a bit to get a way from the darker clouds and lightning...things seemed to have calmed down just a bit while we made our run. So we pulled up to a spot and I made my first cast and was turned looking at my dad and talking to him...when I looked back out across the water my line was hanging 8-10 feet up in the air. I was using fluorocarbon. So I cranked that sucker in, packed it in and headed for the ramp. Lucky for us it happened right at the end of our day....otherwise I'm not sure if I could have kept on fishing.


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## ya13ya03 (Sep 21, 2010)

Thats some crazy stuff. I hope to never have this happen.


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## RollingRock (Jul 31, 2010)

I had the same thing happen to me at Pmy. I casted out a jig and when it hit the water, my line went straight up at the end of the rod. I let out about 20 yards of line and it kept going up. I told brother inlaw, look at this and about the same time we could hear clicking sound coming from our rods leaning on the side of the aluminum boat. It was a blue bird sky around us, and the storm was a long way off.


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## Eliminator (Aug 26, 2006)

I was drift fishing on Mosquito using two rods holding them 11:00 high, when i heard the geiger counter like ticking noise, the ticks slowed as I lowered the rods then sped up as I raised them, I was intrieged at first until my hair began to stand straight up off my head at the same time saw my line rising high into the air, saw my own shadow cast upon the deck, swear I looked like Don King lol, it was then I realized I was about to die and high tailed it straight to the nearest shore. 
It was an aluminum boat with soaking wet carpet, my fishing rods were graphite, the sky was threatening but sun was shining, weird storm front moving in.


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## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

Very scary stuff! Thanks for sharing guys this is something everyone should read and be aware of!


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## Big Doug (Apr 29, 2011)

@ Eliminator and wet carpet.

We had about an inch of water on the aluminum floor from rain and I was wearing sandals.

My feet were under water.

The more I think about it......

D


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## REEL GRIP (Jan 11, 2013)

This has happened to me twice.
One very important thing is to
take of your cap, the button in the
center of your cap,will be the target.
OUCH !!!


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## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

Fortunate indeed. You hear about people getting struck by lightning with only a few survivors to tell about it ordeal. My too close of a call was 20 years ago while driving into work one morning; I had a long commute each day to be at my place of employment so I was on the road around 4:00am. On this particular morning is was very stormy, I was traveling down I75 when a bolt of lightning struck my then Ford Escort wagon. The light was so brilliant that it temporarily blinded me for about 10 seconds and the instantaneous clap of thunder that came with it was absolutely deafening. The second it happened, I hit the brakes as I could not see, fortunately at that time there was little traffic on the road so I was not in danger of a collision from a vehicle directly behind me. As I quickly regained my senses, I started to accelerate but the vehicle was not running good at all. It fried my Kenwood stereo and some other circuitry in the vehicle. Even after having the vehicle serviced, it never ran well from that point on.


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## topwater (Dec 22, 2004)

I often wonder what would happen in a float tube. You can't exactly get off the water quickly. What if you are wearing neoprene waders(also used for wire insulation) and the water gets struck? I know if the person/ fishing rod gets struck then that's bad no matter what, just always wondered what happen if the water gets struck. You wouldn't be grounded...I actually asked an electrical engineering professor and he could not answer


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Two of my friends and I were Lake Erie about twenty years ago and the same thing happened to us. We were way out fishing for Walleyes when a storm moved in. Our lines were staying up in the air too. I had heard of this but had not seen it. My buddy was holding his rod up and he said " I got zapped." He moved his index finger close to the rod blank while holding the foam handle with his casting hand and a spark actually jumped off the rod to his finger. I said " put that rod down before you get killed." We then headed farther out to get away from the storm as we didn't want to chance a run through it to get to shore.
My other buddy had a carbon fiber rod with a warning label on it which said " Do not use this rod during electrical storms." Once the storm passed we went on it. We had enough excitement for one day.
Yesterday we were at Milton and could see and hear a storm coming in from the west. We got out of there just in time as it stormed and poured most of the way home.


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## exide9922 (Aug 9, 2010)

That's crazy. I was there too, when the storm came in I made a few casts but that thunder/lightning scared me off. Not worth it 


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

When a Storm is approaching, look at the Hair on your Arm. If the Hairs are standing up, then you need to get the heck out of Dodge.


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## dennyk (Apr 10, 2012)

It's scary. Same thing happened on Lake Erie about 15 years ago plus sparks started jumping off our graphite rods.
About 6 years ago me and a buddy were night fishing Mosquitoe for cats and had about 6 or 7 nice ones when we heard a distant peel of thunder. Before we could get the anchors up a flash of lightning hit a tree about 200 yards away on shore. We were stuck taking cover the rest of the night on shore across the lake from our launch ramp.


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## Big Doug (Apr 29, 2011)

Looks like It happened to others here and I was researching it on another forum.

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/49724-fishing-line-floating-air-electrical-storm.html

And Here 

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/archive/index.php/t-197869.html

This is the best thread yet.

http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/bassboard/other_topics/message.html?message_id=71202

http://www.lake-link.com/forums/Gen...cuss.cfm/65433/boat-being-struck-by-lightning

Amazing.


D


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## eyeangler1 (May 21, 2004)

exide9922 said:


> That's crazy. I was there too, when the storm came in I made a few casts but that thunder/lightning scared me off. Not worth it
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Don't bother with another cast. First hint of thunder... get the hell out of there. I had the line raise off the water as did my two fishing partners in the boat with me. North side of Kelley's Island. The storm was over the mainland. Just remember, you can't outrun lightning. Get off the lake AT THE FIRST HINT OF A THUNDERSTORM!! Live to fish another day!


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I was in the river before the storms came up. Didn't hear any thunder or see any lightning. I got my fly stuck on a log and had to reach into the water to get it out. With my arm wet I felt the hair on my arm stand up. Not on the dry arm just on the wet arm. That was enough to send me to the car.


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## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

Regardless of how cloudy or sunshiny it is exactly where you are at lightning CAN and HAS struck upwards of 18 MILES from a thunderstorm literally beyond the horizon, the legendary but real `bolt out of the blue`. Considering that a lightning strike can and has melted golf club shafts into 2 seperate pieces, turned large trees into million piece hand grenades and averages about 3000F the SMART thing to do as soon as you begin to note static electric displays is to IMMEDIATELY stow your gear, batten down the hatches and RUN just as FAST as that bad boy can humanely go for the NEAREST safe harbor !


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Ok, that would have def freaked me out. Sounds like you dodged a bullet. Very scary stuff. Not a big fan of lightning on my aluminum boat.


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

This is what lightning does to a graphite rod. Can't imagine what it does to the person holding it.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Wow! Read a story like that years ago in a fishing mag. These guys were bass fishing and using monofilament. A thunderstorm was bearing down on them, but the bass were biting like crazy so they kept fishing. When they made one more cast, their lines started glowing green and lifted up off the water! That scared the almighty crap out of them, so they reeled in, threw the rods in the bottom of the boat and got out of Dodge! 

Quite a few years ago I was out at my buddy's place. He had a barn and a horse boarding business. He was in the barn with someone and I was sitting out back with a beer on the big pile of sawdust he used for bedding. It was a drought Summer, but there was a big lightning storm moving in. It was lighting up 3/4 of the sky. My buddy came to the door of the barn and asked why I didn't come inside, and I told him I was enjoying the light show. It was a dry storm. About 5 minutes later a bolt of lightning came from way to my right, crossed the sky, and hit in the lake about 1/2 mile to my left. It was so close I could hear it sizzle, and it had a bright white "core", and a light blue "sheath" that was crinkled or wrinkled! That's the best I can explain it. That bolt had to be miles long! I beat it for the barn, pronto!

Glad you're OK. Lightning is nothing to fool with, whether you're holding a fishing rod in your hand, a golf club, or anything else!


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## revpilot (Feb 10, 2009)

I've had it happen on erie before and told it was a form of st Elmo's fire 


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## crestliner TS (Jun 8, 2012)

About 25 yrs ago on Mosquito with my buddy our lines were hanging in the air and rods were buzzing.The higher you lifted the rods, the more and louder they buzzed. My buddy couldnt figure out what was going on but my hair was standing on end also and I just knew! I told him to head in right now or were gonna get struck by lightning! Freaky stuff!


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## Mason52 (Aug 21, 2009)

Had the same thing happen on Kiser Lake in S W Ohio once. Same deal pretty much. Tornado warnings were out and we would hear the thunder and knew we were pushing it but the fishing was on fire. We would cast out and the line would never hit the water. It would just stayed in a big arch from the boat to the float. When we saw that we left.


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## Star1pup (Aug 3, 2004)

Back in the days when I sailed around Lake Erie, I got caught in several storms. With a sailboat you just can't head for shore and I had a 45' aluminum lightning rod sticking up in the air. According to what I've read there is a cone of safety from the tip of the rod, but I never wanted to test it.

Now that I do my fishing from my pontoon boat I remember those days and get the heck off the lake whenever I hear thunder or see lightning. Sometimes just some serious black clouds send me scrambling for my dock.


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