Some wild stories from my over my years fishing and guiding at Fork. They're always biting and bait you into a devil's bargain of another cast, but I got struck and heard some pretty gruesome accounts over the years at Fork. Recently got mildly jolted inside my house, really makes me think about being safe under a boat dock.
FB: TomRedingtonFishing
IG: @TomRedington
YT channel: TomRedington
TT: @TomRedington
A guy on Ross Barnett was killed by lightning a couple weeks ago. Witnesses watched him launch and could see the storms rolling in and he went out anyway. They found his boat adrift then found him floating a short time later.
There's lots of decaffeinated brands that are just as tasty as the real thing.
Hi Mike.
I felt it coming in from an offshore trip, weather rolled in on us from the land and as were running back. I was holding onto the metal poles on the canopy, and in heavy rain. twice it hit close enough to hit us "Mildly"
So I have a fear of running in storms. Often I get caught on the other side of a storm and running through thru storm is just not an preferred option for me. I prefer to hunker down close to a bank. I know there is no safe place, but feel like my chances are better, and not getting directly struck.
Bryan McDonough
2023 Nitro Z21 XL
Nitro Team
A buddy of mine works for Yamaha's tech line. He had a guy call in saying that he was getting shocked when he start is engine. While they were talking things through he finally admitted it was while he was fishing during a storm. At that point my buddy asked him if he had any idea just how close he was to getting hit by lightning.
---------------------------------------
2011 Skeeter ZX200 w/SHO 200.
There was a storm coming in on us on Lake Geneva hadn't seen any lightning yet and I was throwing a popper. One cast the popper landed but the line just hovered there above the water. Packed up and loaded the boat. Another time on the same lake we were waiting out a storm under a covered boat house and lightning hit up on land not far from us, ears were ringing.
Was on Guntersville years ago and some storms came in. First time I'd seen monofilament line float in the air and if you held your rod straight up, it would buzz like a fluorescent light bulb. We went and hid in a culvert until it passed.
Basscat Eyra
Mercury 250 ProXS
I checked around with people that I knew as soon as I heard the news on that day, and fortunately, it wasn't any of them. Ross Barnett can get scary quickly when a storm brews, and I'm quite cautious about checking for storms.Originally Posted by Rider99XX
Anyway, on Ross Barnett about 13 years ago, I went fishing not seeing a chance of rain or storms in the forecast, and as soon as I put the trolling motor down and setup my jig poles, I saw a lightning bolt and hear a loud clap of thunder that was too quick for comfort. While I have enough engine to get back across The Rez in a few minutes, I had to wait what seemed an eternity outside the ramp circling around because the slowpokes were taking too long getting their boats onto the trailer and getting their rigs out of the way. I already had water starting to splash over the gunnel and bilge pump running when I was finally able to pull up to the dock at the ramp to hand the key to my truck to the game warden who had come out to assist, which help speed up the others. Fortunately, I had remembered to set the latch properly on the ole' Boat Buddy so that all that I had to do was drive on until I heard it click and then motion to the game warden to pull up. By the time that I had the boat and outboard secured and jumped into the truck, the bottom of the bucket fell out.
1985 Skeeter SF-175 & 1985 Evinrude 150 XP (with VRO removed)
2x Humminbird 1199 with Humminbird 360 and Side Imaging & Garmin Echomap UHD 93sv with LVS32
Minn Kota Ultrex 80 45" DCS Advanced GPS
Millennium Spyderlok Crappie Rod holders (this boat is primarily used for crappie fishing)
Few years back on grand lake, I was judging gettin up on plane and a bolt hit the water about 100yds directly in front of us. The water boiled up pretty good and the boom was loud. This past weekend, the same lake, a storm was rolling in and suddenly my carbonlite rod started shocking the piss out of me. Put the rod down and went to cover to wait it out.
I fished through a thunderstorm just today. We had lots of rain and almost constant thunder but kept on fishing....'NEVER GIVE UP". When we could see the lighting and hear the thunder almost immediately after, we cut bait and headed for the dock. It was raining so hard I just docked the boat and we took refuge in the truck until it lighted up.
NEXT DAY....pulling all the rods and tackle out of locker to dry everything out.
Last edited by SoonerFan; 05-23-2025 at 10:33 AM.
Don't worry Ma'am....
I'm only here for the Bass.
I have had my rod vibrate on two different occasions. Once at Smith Mountain Lake after a storm had passed and the next time was at Guntersville in March as a storm was approaching. I am not a fan of fishing in lightning.
I've had my rod squeel, line float, had the rod shock the piss out of me, etc. Static in the air can be stubborn. But once I see lightning it's time to GTFO.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO. All business with minimal frills and a sinister look just like the owner.
The lower your expectations are the lower the chance of being disappointed
Most terrified I’ve ever been. Running the length of Lake Oneida in a storm.
2017 Phoenix 819
2016 200ProXS, s/n 2B359849, Mod 1200P73BD
IMG_3105.jpegSeveral years back. First day of the WON Bass open on Clear Lake
Dang! That would get your attention.
2013 BassCat Cougar
Serial # 1B962763
I fished a few times where my line would stay 20’ in the air from static electricity I guess time to head to the ramp another time I was fishing and could hear a hum couldn’t figure where it was coming from , I would bend down and and it would go away when I got back up it would start again after about 5 minutes of this finally figured it out that it was my fox. Vibrating and creating the noise lol put it down and got out of there quick
1990 374V Ranger Still kickin' bass after all these years
Got caught on a cooling lake here in a T-storm. Static electricity had buddy's hair standing up and electronics hiccupped a bit. Hid under a railroad bridge for an hour until it passed after that.
Last weeks Tuesday nighter on Lake Wylie. The storm center was a few miles off the lake but every time i picked a rod it just started humming due to the static in the air. Headed to the ramp. I dont fish in that stuff anymore
I don't always find schooling fish but when I do I backlash on the first cast
Lightning hits the tallest thing around. A lightning rod doesn't attract lightning, it dissipates the static which attracts lightning. If you are on the water in a storm, look around you. If your boat is the highest thing, have your will in order if you stay.
not my video, but I was in this tournament. I decided to load up and leave early pretty quickly after determining that these conditions would be ongoing throughout the tournament. It made me realize what some guys are willing to go through for a couple hundred bucks and bragging rights.
Had a couple incidents of rods buzzing, and one on San Carlos where a tree about 100 yards away got hit. Generally around here the lakes start getting pretty nasty long before the lightning gets too close.
Reply With Quote
