Join the Discussion "What do you do when a thunder storm comes up while you are fishing? Do you keep fishing or do you take action to protect yourself?" Ronnie
More of this Feature
• Part 1: Lightning and fishing seem to go together • Part 2: Storms at Jackson
Related Resources • It Was A Dark and Stormy Night
Past Articles One Year Ago - 7/15/02 - Bass Fishing At Night Two Years Ago -7/09/01 - Where, When and How to fish the Drop Shot Rig Three Years Ago - 7/10/00 - Catching a Hawk Four Years Ago - 07/05/99 - You Say Croppie, I'll Say Crappie Five Years Ago - 07/06/98 - July Fishing - How to beat the heat Six Years Ago - 07/07/97 - Lure Hype on TV

After almost two hours of rain, lightning and thunder it started getting real dark. By the time the storm let up enough for us to head back to the lake I thought we would never make it because it was so dark. It took five times as long going back as it did when we went up the river.

Another night at Jackson Lake years later found me in a similar situation. I was there practicing for a night tournament and the air was so heavy it seemed hard to breathe. The clouds were hanging low but not moving, there was no wind and I had not heard any thunder all afternoon.

At about an hour before dark I pulled up near the dam to make some casts to it. Back then you could get right up to the dam, there was no buoy line keeping boats out. I was a few feet from the dam when a gust of wind came over the dam and it started pouring rain. At the same time, lightning started popping. It was the kind of lightning where there is a flash and a pop at the same time, then the thunder shakes you before you have time to blink your eyes.

I knew there was no way to run back to the ramp so I pulled right up beside the dam and tied the boat to a bolt sticking out of it. I felt safe with 20 feet of solid concrete over my head, and thought the iron railing at the top would act like a lightning rod. I guess it worked, I survived.

For two hours I sat in the drivers seat of my boat with my head resting on the steering wheel and my eyes closed. The lightning was so bright it left afterimages even with my eyes closed. My dog crawled up under the console and kept looking up at me like she was saying "Please take me home!"

Stay safe with the lightning this summer. Head to cover if you hear thunder nearby. Get off the open water and don’t hold a fishing rod up like a lightning rod. Don’t take any chances with your life.

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