# Fishing During T-Storms?



## spidey (Mar 19, 2007)

Was fishing Hoover yesterday again. The fish went nuts just before the storm blew in. I caught SM, catfish, nice size bluegill and something I couldn't horse up on my 8 lb test line. I was stoked. But, as soon as I heard the thunder, I high tailed it off the water as quickly as I could. I took a nap in the back of my jeep hoping the storm would blow over. It did, but there were still brilliant arcs of lightening. And there were people still fishing, boats still on the water with a light show going on. I was just amazed. As much as I love fishing, I love living even more. As unlikely as it is that I'll get zapped, I just wonder who wants to chance it? The fish will be there. Just wondering if it's just me to think it's not ok to fish in a thunderstorm.

Oh, did anyone bag any saugeye from the lake yesterday? I only hooked up with catfish on my crawler harness. I'm sure what broke me off wasn't a saugeye.


----------



## woodysoutdoors (May 18, 2007)

Spidey, I am with you!! I freak even being in my house durring a storm. I'd never stand in a storm fishing. Connie


----------



## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I like to wade alot so when we begin to hear the thunder we make tracks back to the car.


----------



## Redhunter1012 (Feb 6, 2006)

I wade the Maumee for walleye all spring long. It amuses me when everyone scatters from the lightning and rain. I usually hold my ground and keep fishing. Several years back there was a group of 5 of us fishing a nice drift on the maumee and it got real nasty out. All of sudden the tornado sirens started going off and a few minutes later it started hailing on us. I was a little freaked but the other idiots I was with just started laughing a kept on fishing, so I naturally acted like it didn't bother me too. Never did see the tornado.


----------



## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Just experienced this so called fishing in a thunderstorm at greenlawn....not my cup o tea!


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

whoo Hoooo---

just fished through the storm at griggs... caught some decent saugeyes... on none other then... [drum roll please]










not a bad hr on the water... but as soon as it started to stink and the dead fish started rolling over the damn... we peaced outta there and hit up some food.


getting pics of stuff up soon. then we will wait and see how long before admins remove them


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL,go girl
roadrunners......................they're not just for crappie anymore

as for making a human lightening rod out of myself................not gonna happen.i'm crazy........................but contrary to what my wife says,i'm not STUPID


----------



## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

misfit said:


> LOL,go girl
> roadrunners......................they're not just for crappie anymore
> 
> as for making a human lightening rod out of myself................not gonna happen.i'm crazy........................but contrary to what my wife says,i'm not STUPID


Couldnt agree more with the lightning rod theory


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

btw spidey,we picked up 3 saugeyes saturday morning on harnesses.tough bite for sure and all were short.conditions were definitely not optimal.


----------



## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

fishing in a thunderstorm is dicey----when tournament fishing ive experienced saint elmos fire on 2 occasions and had so much static electricity in the air that your line will not settle on the water ---the lure goes in the water but the line keeps going up---thats the indicator that conditions are good that you are the next thing that is going to get hit--your hair stands up on your arms and neck -we motor up and leave the area ---right now!

i heard of a sailboat that hit on the mast moored at put-in -bay and the shroud lines turned red hot like a filament of a light bulb

another one was a trolling rig got hit and took all the rods across the back of the boat out

ive done it but it still makes me nervous


----------



## DrChip (Sep 6, 2004)

I was float tubing my favorite pond (with my favorite graphite rod) when the storm came up tonight. Had three bass, including a 19"er, within the first 20 minutes when I first heard the thunder. Thought I'd slowly ease back to the shore where I put in and fish back. Caught one more on the way back (I stretched it to about 10 more minutes), cursing the storm all the way. One foot was in, and one foot was out of the pond when I saw the first lightening bolt. By the time I was back to the truck, I was wet more than just from the waist down from the lack of waders. 

But, when that first thunder sounded, right after I released the big bass, I was thinking what spidey said..."how likely would it be I'd get hit" with all the trees around the pond. But, I've got two kids and a wife to go home to. And my son, at 3.5 years old, seemed worried when I told him I was going fishing -- even he was smart enough to worry with a storm coming in. Better safe than sorry. Hopefully I've got a lot of years left to catch more bass, no sense risking it all for just one more...

chip


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

here's what's left of a rod and reel that got hit while the guy was holding it
it was posted a year or so ago in the erie forum.


----------



## sycamore440 (Oct 31, 2006)

Hey Girl i got a pic here of a nice one i caught sat night on the scioto just by the marina.. I caught a baby blue gill and waited to this guy to get hungry..sure enough...whatta hit it put up..enjoy this is one of my better ones off griggs....


----------



## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

Wow that's crazy what happened to that pole. 

It started lightning and storming within the last 30 minutes of the tournament Saturday and my engine was down. Luckily I was close to the dock and used the trolling motor and went in 20 minutes early to play it safe. I will not stay on the water if it's thundering or lightning...I am definitely not the type of person to think it won't happen to me, a small chance is too big of a chance.

Being on a boat in a body of water makes you the highest object on the lake, and really increases your chance of getting hit, regardless of how many trees are around the lake...just not worth it.


----------



## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I have no problem with rain and wind but boy the lightning puts the fear of God in me, especially after looking at that pole


----------



## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

The odds of getting hit by lightning are 700,000 in 1. You're more likely to get in an accident on the way to the lake or drown once you're on the water than get hit by lightning. As I stated before IMO if you get struck by lightning then its just fate, your ticket has been punched, period. Some of the best fishing is in the rain and nothing is going to scare me from it. Not a hardass here but I guess when you face death early in life as I did on the operating table then you try and live every day to its fullest. 

CARPE DIEM! We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Not a hardass here but I guess when you face death early in life as I did on the operating table then you try and live every day to its fullest.


as someone who has also faced death at an early age(and also recently) on the table,and someone who died twice and came back,i also try to live each day like it may be my last.but i at the same time i'm not gonna foolishly up the odds on today being that day 
like i'said before..................i might be crazy,but contrary to what my wife will tell you,i'm not stupid


----------



## Capital outdoorsman (Mar 27, 2006)

watch out for those lightning storms. I have a great uncle I never met because lightning ricocheted off his evinrude into his back while high tailing it off the water. 

No fishing for me this weekend. Only memorial tourney.


----------



## Eriesteamer (Mar 9, 2007)

I was fishing and a bolt hit the water and send juice up my line man it was a shock to the system.could been worst though.I thought maybe I hooked up with electric eel .( just my way to put it) LOL


----------



## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

I really don't like thinking about this anymore but (Shakedown, Chopiq) and I were probably at least 3/4 of a mile into the darby almost to the promised land last night and mother nature reared her ugly head! 

Yeah ...we got stuck way back in the *bush!!* . Me and shake looked like cross country runners but Chopiq and his short legs blew by us! Crazy loud thunder and lightning all around us. We mostly went back thru the river because the nettles were tearing our legs up. So imagine 3 dudes up to our necks in water running for our lives. The ending was a kicker!! 
50 yard dash straight up a slick muddy hill that was now a mini waterfall. 
Nothing like a little exercise with your fishing!! 

oh yeah...we caught a few fish.
think 15 smallies (chopiq had one stud that was near 3lbs):B 
and a few saugers

this trip was def. not for the weak!!
maybe with all that commotion brandon has forgot how many times i retied  
lots of advil this morning 
thanks fella's


----------



## krustydawg (Apr 26, 2004)

Pigsticker said:


> The odds of getting hit by lightning are 700,000 in 1. You're more likely to get in an accident on the way to the lake or drown once you're on the water than get hit by lightning. As I stated before IMO if you get struck by lightning then its just fate, your ticket has been punched, period. Some of the best fishing is in the rain and nothing is going to scare me from it. Not a hardass here but I guess when you face death early in life as I did on the operating table then you try and live every day to its fullest.
> 
> CARPE DIEM! We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.


That's a lot of pork rinds if you get zapped ! Where did you get those odds from Vegas ?


----------



## zspook (Apr 4, 2006)

Interesting post. I will not chance fishing in a t-storm. Even with odds at 700,000 to 1, I do not wish to be a statistic. 

By the way Pigsticker, I believe those odds change dramatically with lightining within just a couple of miles of your location. It takes lightning less than a second to travel several miles...think about that next time you are on the water.
zspook

P.S. - I was jolted by lightning when I was 12 years old, while washing my granddad's car during a thunderstorm.


----------



## spidey (Mar 19, 2007)

misfit said:


> here's what's left of a rod and reel that got hit while the guy was holding it


I stared at this pic for about 30 seconds before I read your post. I thought it was an unfortunate cat that got popped and then exploded. I was trying to imagine where the legs used to be and what happened to the head and guts. I was starting to feel sorry for it. Good thing it was ONLY a fishing rod.  

Anyway, interesting comments from who would or wouldn't stay. But the rod pretty much sums it up for me. Oh, and newbreed running for his life out of the "bush." That had to be funny... retrospectively of course.  I'm hauling tail each and every time I hear the clap of thunder, too. 

As far as those saugeye go, I had at least 3 or 4 bites where the fish sucked the tails off the worms and happily swam away. Dang. I hate that when that happens.


----------



## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

besides the other things i cited---i had a charter captain tell me he grabbed the stainless rail around his center console in threatening weather without any lightning strikes and he hit the floor and stopped breathing for a couple minutes---it may be time to get your ticket punched but why press the issue?----we all get caught in situations that arent good ---hopefully we get back safely


----------



## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

If you want to fish in thunder and lightning then by all means go for it, no one is going to stop you. Those odds seem steep, but even if they are correct you can make the odds infinite:none if you just use some good judgement and not fish in those conditions.

Again it's your life. I value mine too much to even take a CHANCE.


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

Pigsticker said:


> The odds of getting hit by lightning are 700,000 in 1. You're more likely to get in an accident on the way to the lake or drown once you're on the water than get hit by lightning. As I stated before IMO if you get struck by lightning then its just fate, your ticket has been punched, period. Some of the best fishing is in the rain and nothing is going to scare me from it. Not a hardass here but I guess when you face death early in life as I did on the operating table then you try and live every day to its fullest.
> 
> CARPE DIEM! We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.


ha, 700,000 to 1 odds... i wanna see some backup for this since 23% of people tend to just make up statistics... everyone knows that


----------



## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

GWP-
How are you fishing those roadrunners?

Constant reeling? Jigging?

Also, what kind of setup do you use - spinning, baitcasting?

Just curious - that lure seems to be the ticket these days...Shoulda kept it a secret cuz I just got some.


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

i was constantly reelin yesterday, due to the downpour and the fact i was fishing parallel right below the damn, the water was rushin and if given even an extra second, seemed to be gettin hung up on the rocks and weeds.


and.--- even if i kept it a secret... misfit has been on the public access channel every night plugging these things. you would have eventually stumbled upon it one late night


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

cassy,thats my twin jimmy houston.i sold my interest and turned over the infomercials to him.he can be seen on the outdoor channel regularly,catching everything from bluegills to walleyes with those things.
and at my suggetion he reminds people that 'you can't fish 'em wrong,if you fish 'em slow".simple as that 
easiest bait in the world to fish(and catchingest)


----------



## BuckeyeFishinNut (Feb 8, 2005)

I have been caught on the Ohio River a few times when a crazy storm would pop up. It always seemed like it was at night, in the summer, while catfishing. I was out on a sandbar one night with a friend when a wicked storm blew in. We were fishing with 10' surf rods and lightning starting going crazy everywhere. We laid the rods down, clicked on the baitrunners, and headed for cover. The storm lasted about 15 mins and I came back to find my spool missing about 100 yds of line and about a 10 lb channel cat on the other end. I have tempted fate a few times and don't do it much anymore.I have felt the static electricity effect. Hair on your arms stands up and it just feels like there is a spark in the air, thats enough to send ya running on its own.

Jake


----------



## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

Misfit
Thanks for posting that picture of the rod hit by lightening. I was the one that posted it originally and couldn't find the pic again. I hate to admit it but I have fished out in storms brfore but will never do it again after that day of Erie. I saw first hand what it can do.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i just did a search in the erie forum for "lightening" 
that was the first thing i thought of when the conversation started here.
that's why my rods always get laid down in the boawhile hauling azz to the ramp when weather sneaks up on me while on the water,LOL.


----------



## StuckAtHome (Apr 29, 2004)

I admit it, I was an idiot last night. Had the wife take me and the SOT yak upstream on Blacklick to Livingston last night about 7pm,and I forgot my cell phone(broke my cardnal rule #1 when yaking alone) and forgot my dry bag with A:set of dry clothes B: Heavy duty rain suit C: CELL PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Started off excellent, creek was way inside my safety concern about 3-5 inches up(like it better when its 6-8 up, anything above 10" I won't do) went thru some beautiful places, blacklick Golf course and park, huge mud cliffs, 2 deer ran across the river when I spooked them, then I noticed the thunder claps and dark clouds to the east, I thought I'm going to get soaked, and be late getting back and wife will send the nieghbors after me if I'm not home by 9pm. I made it to turnberry GC when it hit, and it hit hard, I waited under the cart bridge for 10 minutes did't let up, and the creek wasn't risin g( I mark the creek with a stick so if its rising too fast I bite the bullet get out and walk it home) but time wasn't on my side, had 15 minutes to go and only 25 mintes until wife thought I was dead so I went and got soaked. Last riffle I went thru I spooked a nice(pounder to be sure) SM it jumped, spiked my leg with top fin, landed between my legs, got me a few more times, had to use the paddle to get him out, then I thought I had a hair infront of my eye, I grabbed it, looked and it was a HUGE spider hiding from the monsoon under the brim of my hat, I almost lost it right there. Got home, nieghbors waiting for me laughing it up, all I could do was join them....

PS- I forgot my darn cell phone the last time, and I packed the rainsuit.


----------



## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

i had my cell phone and camera and both were waterlogged when we stopped to access the situation we were in. Cell phone is working now but i doubt the camera will.


----------



## woodysoutdoors (May 18, 2007)

I dunno where the info came from but here is what I came up when I did a search online... http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/wlightning.htm

1 in 700,000

During every minute of every day, roughly 1,800 thunderstorms are creating lightning somewhere on Earth. Though the chances of being struck by lightning are estimated at 1 in 700,000, these huge electrical sparks are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the USA each year with an average of 73 people killed; about 300 people usually are injured by lightning.


----------



## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

Cmon guys the odds of actually getting killed by lightning is 2,320,000 to 1. On the other hand the odds of getting in a fatal car accident is only 18,500. Hell your 4 times more likely to drown in your bathtub than getting killed by lightning. I just can't believe with the odds being so miniscule that it holds that many tough guys back. Hope your manpons aren't too tight tonight  

I didn't know I had to do a bibliography with every post that I post fact in but here's my source for the nonbelievers. funny2.com/odds.htm


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL.odds are just numbers.
if my grandmother were alive,you could ask her what the odds are of getting hit while pumping water from her well.she'd say pretty damned good after being struck on two seperate occasions 
ask my son the odds of getting hit while sitting at the kitchen table talking on the phone.speak loudly though,cause it pretty much blew out his eardrum 
ask me the odds of having it hit the car i was riding in.or hitting my cb antenna,shredding it like confetti and blowing up my cb base...............yep,pretty good,LOL.


----------



## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

You are right my odds of dying are high. But man majority hit do not die it JUST HURTS REAL BAD!!


----------



## woodysoutdoors (May 18, 2007)

Hope your manpons aren't too tight tonight. LOL!! I'm female. guess I better get my womanpons out. LOL! 

Now my man on the other hand..I read this thread to him and he just looked away with that cat caught the canary look on his face. I was like see I bet you've fished in storms. I bet you were even in your waders knee deep in water, right? he just said what me? lol!

I can say I do talk on the cordless phone and sometimes/most times I do stay on my PC through storms. That's not any smarter than fishing in storms.


----------



## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

whoa, that is ALOT of lightning experiences! rick if i ever see you on hoover and any darker, black lookin rain cloud off in the distance, IM gettin off the heck off the lake. lol


----------



## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Hey Rick make sure you wear that boat plug around you neck while your out there!!


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL.maybe i'll put another plug on the chain and i can stick them in my ears so i don't hear it coming


----------



## fishinjim (Aug 9, 2006)

probably dont have to mention it but water is a great conductor of electricity. I wouldn't want to be in a river and have lightning strike it nearby.


----------



## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Yeah Rick do that then we can rename you MISFITENSTIEN!!


----------



## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

Are the quoted odds applicable to a person sitting in an alumimum boat on a flat lake? I would doubt it. Those without any responsibilities in their life can go with the Vegas odds, but I high tail off the lake for thunder or lightning.


----------



## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

hahahaaaa
damn...to be any scarier then he already is 



fishslim said:


> Yeah Rick do that then we can rename you MISFITENSTIEN!!


----------



## fishintiger (Apr 26, 2004)

misfit said:


> LOL.odds are just numbers.
> if my grandmother were alive,you could ask her what the odds are of getting hit while pumping water from her well.she'd say pretty damned good after being struck on two seperate occasions
> ask my son the odds of getting hit while sitting at the kitchen table talking on the phone.speak loudly though,cause it pretty much blew out his eardrum
> ask me the odds of having it hit the car i was riding in.or hitting my cb antenna,shredding it like confetti and blowing up my cb base...............yep,pretty good,LOL.





Danshady said:


> whoa, that is ALOT of lightning experiences! rick if i ever see you on hoover and any darker, black lookin rain cloud off in the distance, IM gettin off the heck off the lake. lol


All I can say is I'm glad I didn't know of those experiences or I would have been a little more scared last summer while him and I were out night fishing and that storm moved in. He did move pretty quickly though tying the boat down so he must have been running those experiences through his mind.  

Oh and me. I'm heading for the car when the storms start getting bad. I'll fish in the rain but thunder and lightning are where I draw the line.


----------



## BuckeyeFishinNut (Feb 8, 2005)

I think Rick's lightning experiences are due to his electric personality, he just lights up a room, so the lighning is attracted to him....LOL 

In all seriousness, I have pushed the limits before. A little rain isn't going to run me off but when a major storm comes blowin in I may head for the car. During this time of year most thunderstorms only last a few minutes. Better to wait them out in the car or under shelter than risk it. I have seen lightning hit out in the water by where I was fishing a few times, thats close enough for me.

Jake


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

misfit said:


> LOL.odds are just numbers.
> if my grandmother were alive,you could ask her what the odds are of getting hit while pumping water from her well.she'd say pretty damned good after being struck on two seperate occasions
> ask my son the odds of getting hit while sitting at the kitchen table talking on the phone.speak loudly though,cause it pretty much blew out his eardrum
> ask me the odds of having it hit the car i was riding in.or hitting my cb antenna,shredding it like confetti and blowing up my cb base...............yep,pretty good,LOL.



Im going to refer to you as Mishap now Rick...

remind me to stay away from you, i have enough bad luck, if our worlds collide, it might be the end of us


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Im going to refer to you as Mishap now Rick...


there's a reason i'm know as the master of misadventures around here



> I think Rick's lightning experiences are due to his electric personality


maybe that explains why i've attracted so many crazy women im ,y life


----------



## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

misfit said:


> crazy women


but.. but.. isn't this phrase redundant? 

hehehe


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

not really..........................some are just plain NUTS


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

but some... please note i am TOTALY ONLY TALKING ABOUT MYSELF... are totaly awesome.


----------



## spidey (Mar 19, 2007)

Pigsticker said:


> I just can't believe with the odds being so miniscule that it holds that many tough guys back. Hope your manpons aren't too tight tonight


I'll take the extra absorbent manpons with wings, thank you very much. The 3 things that scare me the most are lightning storms, hornets nests and hard drinking women. They all strike without warning and leave scars. Far too unpredictable for my tastes.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> but some... please note i am TOTALY ONLY TALKING ABOUT MYSELF... are totaly awesome.


you're all awesome
but that does not take away from the fact you're all either crazy or goofy


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

misfit said:


> you're all awesome
> but that does not take away from the fact you're all either crazy or goofy


such the diplomat


----------



## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

oh yah. don't get me wrong, I love women (especially my gf)

but they are all pretty crazy (especially my gf)

its kind of akin to the wave particle duality in physics; it is one of the mysteries of the universe. 

thunder and lightning make me nervous as well. I have had some of the quickest catfishing ever during a torrential downpour though. no lightning, but I was soaked.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> such the diplomat


my mother(rest her sweet soul)taught me that


----------



## BuckeyeFishinNut (Feb 8, 2005)

I much more afraid of a hard-drinking woman than all of the other things stated above. Women are slightly off balance to begin with then you add alot of alcohol, scary & dangerous things may happen. I stay far away from any woman that can drink more than me. I would much rather get struck by lightning, the pain would be less and the death quicker 

The always politically correct,
Jake


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Women are slightly off balance to begin with then you add alot of alcohol, scary & dangerous things may happen. I stay far away from any woman that can drink more than me


i see you've met my second wife 
number 3 couldn't drink as much,but didn't need alcohol to enhance her attitude

btw,both were german


----------



## Girl With A Pole (May 18, 2007)

drinking makes me strong....

is that a bad thing?


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> is that a bad thing?


in certain scenarios it could actually be a very good thing


----------



## sycamore440 (Oct 31, 2006)

*A few years back while fishing at alum creek, 3 times in one day thunderstorms stopped me fishing.. I saw alot of lighting hit the water.. I figured hanging in the car listening to good tunes is better than testing my ability to conduct electric. One day my hair raised on my arms and legs..lighting hit a tree about 250 feet away...since then i dont mess with mother nature.. scared the piss out of me...literally *


----------



## OSU_Fisherman (Mar 1, 2007)

I've experienced the static in the air raising your hair too. I was golfing hoping that a thunderstorm would miss us. I was under some HUGE powerlines and saw the first bolt, so I headed to a nearby shelter house. After the worst had passed, I headed back out and my buddy called my cell. After I answered, the hair on my arms stood up like crazy and I never saw the bolt, but it was close enough to completely fry that cell phone.

After that, the course owner (good friend) came searching for me and made me go home haha. 

Not sure if fishing poles are as conductive as golf clubs, but I dont care to test it haha.


----------



## PITCHNIT (Nov 2, 2004)

I see no reason to prove Mr. Darwin correct. I don't fish during lightning storms.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> I see no reason to prove Mr. Darwin correct


LOL.i heard that.

nor to prove forrest gump correct either


----------

