Fishing with storms in area.

[Judson1]

Had something new to me yesterday but I’ve heard of it happening to others. No thunder or lightning around us or it would’ve been no doubt we quit fishing. But rain and storms were moving through the region. It seemed as if the lake had a charge in the air above it. I kept getting shocked when casting or working my bait. Anytime I touched the blank it would do it. We stopped fishing for a while.
Started back up and went a while with no issues then it would start again. So we’d stop again. Didn’t really know what to do. Also at times if you lifted the rod tip much above your shoulders you could hear a whistle sound like you were tuning into an AM station. We took another break. Not being near any shelter we ran up the lake to skies that were starting to clear. Definitely a scary situation.

[Transom]

It is all fun and games until your rod starts singing and your line stays in the air.

[Jeff Hahn]

It is all fun and games until your rod starts singing and your line stays in the air.

That's spooky when it happens!

[donpilot]

Sounds like you were in line for the first strike.

[bpicinc]

Conditions changed fast on Toledo Bend today, all of a sudden it got dark and I could hear thunder, started raining before I could get back to the boat ramp, then the lightning and thunder was close and the downpour started.

[yatesville88fan]

That would b scary.

[bass-o-maticjm]

Didn’t really know what to do.

Easy, get off of the water!

[ksubasser24]

We launched for a tournament once when there was lightning to the east of us. I told my partner we should wait but looking at radar it showed everything sliding south and most everything was east of us already. About 20 mins into the tournament another cell blew up right on top of us.

I was throwing a 1/2 oz chatter bait and I made a cast that never stopped. My line just kept comming off the spool and my line was just hovering in the air keeping my bait on the surface. I reeled in as fast as I could and put my rod down. We poles down and just sat in the seats of the boat a little off the bank away from the trees.

We watched a lightning strike hit the bank across from us next to another boat. Those guys said the percussion of it knocked them down and one of them went in the lake.

[rboren]

One of my fishing partners was worse than I lightning rod. We called him “Lightning”. I was with him one day and watched sparks jumping from his reel to his hands!

[adchunts]

It is all fun and games until your rod starts singing and your line stays in the air.

Had that happen once on Fork years ago. Well before smart phones with weather and radar. First I thought I was seeing things. Then I got very concerned and we hit the bank for a while.

Also was fishing a tourney on Kerr Lake, OK with a buddy once when we started hearing what sounded like rocks going through the tree leaves. Turned out to be one of the worst hail storms I’ve ever been in. We huddled in the bottom of the boat and held life jackets over our heads while getting pounded. Saw one baseball sized hailstone float up right beside us. Fortunately there weren’t many of those. I still ended up with a silver dollar sized bruise on top of my shoulder and my buddy had a big knot on his head. Found out later a tornado went through a few miles from our location.

[plowjock]

When your line just wants to Hover above the water, you know there are issues around you.
Line that doesn't want to get wet is sending you a BIG message.
Move and move FAST.
Don't think you can outrun a Lightning Bolt.
Some have tried without success.

[limitlong]

I've had it happen twice. The first time at Smith Mountain Lake and the next at Guntersville. Made me make myself low in the boat quickly.

[Rubrail]

Happened to me and my partner on Lake Eufaula in Alabama. Started hearing a “tick…tick…tick..tick.tickticktick”and then silence, then again, and again, turned to look at my partner fishing from the rear deck and as he was raising his fishing pole while dragging a worm on the bottom I could see about an inch of static fire off of the end of his fishing pole. The higher he raised it the louder and faster it sparked. Needless to say we got out of there fast and just as we loaded the boat the worst lightning storm I have ever witnessed busted loose. I think we were very lucky as there were not any dark clouds or thunder in the area when the ticking happened.

[Rangerdeepv]

Have had a 'static' day like that once on a cooling lake here with a good friend of mine. Left an impression and anytime there is electricity involved it is time to get off the water.

[CJ1]

Had something new to me yesterday but I’ve heard of it happening to others. No thunder or lightning around us or it would’ve been no doubt we quit fishing. But rain and storms were moving through the region. It seemed as if the lake had a charge in the air above it. I kept getting shocked when casting or working my bait. Anytime I touched the blank it would do it. We stopped fishing for a while.
Started back up and went a while with no issues then it would start again. So we’d stop again. Didn’t really know what to do. Also at times if you lifted the rod tip much above your shoulders you could hear a whistle sound like you were tuning into an AM station. We took another break. Not being near any shelter we ran up the lake to skies that were starting to clear. Definitely a scary situation.

You were the ground charge building up, the cloud charge was doing the same above you. When both gets to sufficient amount to make the distance jump and you happen to be the contact point (or even remotely close to it) you will be a statistic. Absolutely nothing to play with. Cj

[Bassmaster96]

You were the ground charge building up, the cloud charge was doing the same above you. When both gets to sufficient amount to make the distance jump and you happen to be the contact point (or even remotely close to it) you will be a statistic. Absolutely nothing to play with. Cj

Exactly. Time to get off the lake

[twitch]

Had it happen once while on the water kept hearing a humming sound thought my trolling motor or fishfinder was acting up everytime I bent down to listen or try something it stopped. Finally realized my rod was singing and the higher up I lifted it the more it sang , then the line just stayed in the air for like forever and I knew it was time to go. Made it to the ramp just as it struck a tower near the ramp and watched a tracker sink on the side of the ramp waiting to load on trailer..Close call for sure

[Bsktball55]

No fish is worth it, anytime there's static like that lightning can strike even though there wasn't any lightning around you yet, you can still be the first strike. Live to come back another day and catch the fish then.

[dabassking]

A buddy and I were on Hartwell the same day and had the same thing happen to us. We just sat down and waited it out. We never saw lightning and only heard one roll of thunder and that was after the storm had passed us by.

[Highcentered]

I've had my rod singing in the air and floating line plenty of times. I don't play Russian Roulette with lightning. No fish is worth that. I also know a guy who watched his best friend get killed by lightning in a nearby boat on Hamilton. Storm snuck in over the mountains and POOF.