Ever been shocked by Your grahite rod?

[Browneye]

Sunday morning the wife and I put the boat in. Light showers passing thru but not too bad. No sooner rolled the boat into the water and a pretty hard lightning bolt went off. I tied the boat to the dock and we sat in the vehicle in the parking lot for awhile. 15 mins or so with not other strikes and sprinkles letting up we go in the boat and headed off. A half mile from the dock I got a rod rigged with bait, gave it to the wife and got started getting mine ready to go. All of a sudden I got a terrific shock and threw the rod down. I had kind of heard of this happening right before a lightening strike so the next few seconds were pretty scary. It wasn't at all just like a static shock from rubbing on the carpet but like a very strong electric fence shock. We headed back in right away but I have to say it was very unnerving to experience.

 

[MathewsZman]

So , did it make your brown eye pucker ? ��

 

[roosterfish]

Not shocked like that but, seen the rods buzzzz more than a few times. That was when it was time to go!!

 

[Browneye]

It got very small! It never did strike again but the anticipation of one coming any second was shitty feeling.

 

[Wags2.0]

Casting cranks with my uncle when I was a kid. There was a storm rolling in but the fish were on the chomp, just one more cast type deal. Rods started to crackle and when you’d cast the line stayed bowed in the air off the water. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen. We left ASAP

 

[LBrandt]

If I ever was near a rod that started to buzz I would be off the water in a heart beat and to the nearest bar to start drinking all over again. No fish is worth a scorched rod, if you know what I mean.

 

[Twitch]

Casting cranks with my uncle when I was a kid. There was a storm rolling in but the fish were on the chomp, just one more cast type deal. Rods started to crackle and when you’d cast the line stayed bowed in the air off the water. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen. We left ASAP

Fished in the Gov. cup in a situation just like this once. Same thing with the line rising and the rods buzzing. We thought about pulling the plug and just going in. Decided the storm was headed towards garrison and the worst was over where we were, so just stuck it out. We did pop a fish just over 7 lbs while the thunderstorm was rolling through but stopped fishing derby’s shortly after that year. What’s the point of storm days and blow days if you never use them.

 

[Sluggo]

Was fly fishing once, storms in the area....2 rods got close to each other and I saw an electrical arc jump from one to the other. We threw them down and sat in the truck for awhile. Never had one shock me like what happened to you though.

 

[BDub]

A couple of guys I know got shocked up at Garrison. They had waited for a storm to pass and it looked clear. They noticed their hair was standing on end so they grabbed their fishing rods. Both got knocked out of their chairs. That was enough fishing for the day.

 

[Skullet]

15 or so years ago I was fishing with my brother and the weather turned to shit. We were headed for the boat ramp when the rods started bouncing around in the bow. We slowed down to get them set so they didn’t flop out of the boat. When I grabbed the second rod it shocked me so hard that I questioned whether we got struck.

 

[dukgnfsn]

Never been shocked by a rod yet, when I've seen arching in the eyes or start hearing the rods singing its retreat time. I have seen a few strikes within a proximity I would describe as danger close, mostly shore hits to close on the river. Having my truck struck with me in it was enough of a experience for me and seeing what it did to the truck makes me respect it a lot more now than when I was younger. dukgnfsn

 

[sl1000794]

I was told a long time ago if I was out in a boat fishing on a lake and could see lightning or hear thunder, then I was close enough to get struck by lightning. The last place you want to be is in a boat with a graphite lightning rod in your hand and be the tallest structure around! DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!!!

 

[Allen]

Yes.


I am smarter now.

 

[DirtyMike]

More times than I’m willing to admit. Why do the fish bite so well with an approaching storm?

 

[Jake G]

More times than I’m willing to admit. Why do the fish bite so well with an approaching storm?

something to do with the low pressure moving in.

 

[DirtyMike]

something to do with the low pressure moving in.

It took til much later in life to piece those two bits together.

 

[shorthairsrus]

I havent had the experience - i have had the line thing though --- my kid got a hell of shock a couple years back. The highlight of that experience was the boat dock. I remember we were up in pelican -- made the run back to creel -- made the corner around creel - it was the fourth weekend and a bunch of tubers jet skiis you name it -- i had the throttle down all the way up to the dock.

It was a total cluster F at the dock --- i told the old lady - bump the dock and i will jump off --- that didnt work all the boats whined and they started blocking my wife --- i said ok i told her - bump the rocks instead i jumped off and proceeded to my truck

then every babyboomer and their kid and grandkid started whining then. NO FAIR JOHNNY!!! Omg it was unbelievable. so i go up and get the truck and by the time i get up to ramp - i am third in line ---- --its four wide ramp but you know how people are they cant back and make it two wide -- i well i made it down on the side (more whining going on why its unfair that i dropped off on rocks and that i can back and make it a four wide)

A guy had a pontoon === first he was mr helper leaving his trailer and big ford blocking the ramp. I have told this story before on this site -anyway he ran his pontoon up and then had to power load it --- he had a big mabel somehow tied to the back of the toon -- i seen mabel going up and down with his power loading and then the prop hit it and he was f'd. stopped his motor dead.

My wife gets it on the trailer before any rain --- we pull up to the lot and that is when it got fun.

I would swear the toon mabel guy didnt make it out for what seemed like the whole storm. Jet skiies came out when it was hailing pea size. The lightening was terrible --- then the wind came seen some guys b top ripped to shreds) -- i ran to ramp to help --- it was such a cluster f it was unbelievable - props in the rocks etc. People yelling at each other and then you have the sota's with 15 ropes trying to load a trailer half way out of the water.

I know we waited to long to leave - luckily the storm wasnt faster as it would of caught up with us.

Moral of the story : leave early and bump a rock.

I will also say -- put your b top up if you have one --- (know when to take down too when the wind starts -- but the b top can save your life and act as a cage directing the lightening away from your head -- true story read up on it -- FL is really bad for lightening and B tops save lifes aka(Simms overrated). ;:;popcorn

 

[MuleyMadness]

When i was about 15 we went to the lake for family vacation and used my uncles boat. Thunderstorm rolled in and a huge bang of a lightning bolt about scared the crap out of us. A few minutes later my line was arcing so my dad said that's enough lets go in. Go to the top of the old Skunk boat ramp and ended up putting out a fire with 3 other guys. That lightning strike hit about 100 yards across from the trailer.

 

[tikkalover]

I consider myself a fair weather fisherman and have never had the pleasure of watching my line have an upwards arch in it or my rods start singing to me. But find myself amazed, confused and upset at the dip shits that back down the middle of a 4 lane ramp(2 lanes on both sides of the dock) either back down close to the dock or the outside edge of the ramp. Please!! Its not that wide just because you are afraid of hitting something while backing in.

 

[tikkalover]

Lightning strikes tree during scary storm at U.S. Women's Open