ZZZZZZZZZAAAAPPPP!

Near Miss Lightning Strike

YIKES!!!!

I remember hearing about a guy who got hit by lightning while bass fishing. It traveled down his rod and then arced to the metal zipper on his jeans, which apparently was stitch welded shut from the intense surge of several thousand volts. Damn that stings.

He was lucky to survive, although needless to say he needed some major re-building of the lower unit after that close encounter of the high voltage kind. Ouch. As a general rule, it’s best to avoid anthing that could arc weld your zipper shut, because any way you slice it, that’s going to smart a little.

Grouse

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I remember hearing about a guy who got hit by lightning while bass fishing. It traveled down his rod and then arced to the metal zipper on his jeans, which apparently was stitch welded shut from the intense surge of several thousand volts. Damn that stings.

He was lucky to survive, although needless to say he needed some major re-building of the lower unit after that close encounter of the high voltage kind. Ouch. As a general rule, it’s best to avoid anthing that could arc weld your zipper shut, because any way you slice it, that’s going to smart a little.

Grouse

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And that’s why I always wear gym shorts or sweat pants while fishing.

Well, it’s not really the reason I do it, but whatever.

Like I said on BK’s Facebook post, I would have soiled myself and then passed out. Lightning makes me nervous as it is, but to be that close to a bolt in the open would be too much. Heck I get nervous on a lake in a drizzle even if there isn’t any thunder. There is always a first bolt from a cell.

Reminds me of the day I was on McCarthy Beach on Sturgeon Lake. Had a couple bolts strike just across the bay. I saw the storm rolling in, but no one else seemed to care. When it started to downpour I got really nervous. In my head rain conducts the bolts. So while they hung out by the metal pontoon I paced the shoreline, literally.

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And that’s why I always wear gym shorts or sweat pants while fishing.

Well, it’s not really the reason I do it, but whatever.

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Careful, you don’t want to be the highest object.

I remember reading an article or something where someone said their line got lifted off the water by static electricity. That’s when you wish you’d packed it in about 5 minutes ago..

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I remember reading an article or something where someone said their line got lifted off the water by static electricity. That’s when you wish you’d packed it in about 5 minutes ago..

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I’ve heard that too. I think my brother fished when it was doing that too. No thanks! When my line starts hovering and sizzling, its time to go.

I’ve had it happen a few times in tournaments on Winnebago. You cast a line out and get a 30′ tall arch of slack line. We then started trolling just to try to keep moving. When the rods start buzzing, you know there’s too much static in the air.

It was fun to ask the other guy in the boat to check a rod and listen for the snapping sound. Now that I don’t run tournaments like that any more, you won’t see me in those situations again.

Happened to me twice… (slow to learn). Second time – storm front all around us, but we seemed to be a in pocket. Slip bobber fishing for gils, all the lines rose out of the water and simply would not go down. braided line. You could feel the energy on the poles. Quit fishing at hat point.

??? What do you do if you waited too long, and have no where “safe” to get to. Beach boat and stand on shore. Stay in boat at shore. Stay away from trees…. or what. Stay away from boat shelters (aluminum) if they are on the lake?

I always got with the fetal position and suck my thumb.

I wonder if a guy could build up immunity to electrical strikes?…..Here’s some food for thought on potential training programs.

Growing up, my farmer cousins used to like to trick the city kids by getting them to pee on the electric fence. At some point, they actually got someone to do it and apparently the result wasn’t exciting enough. From that point on, they would challenge the city kids by daring them to try to stall out a one lung John Deere tractor by pee’ing on the spark plug. Youch!!!!

Mother nature should know electro-shocking isn’t a reliable testing method on populations of fish.

Curious if there were any floaters after that bolt. I’d be dumb enough to zoom over their and check it out.

Just one more reason to buy a FIBERGLASS Skeeter!!