Warning, Fly Fishing may be Hazardous to your health!

[fly addict]

It is the time of year when we are fly fishing and thunderstorms are common. Be aware the dangers are real. Here’s some information from NOAA.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories201 ... afety.html
I think Curtis had a close call a few years back.

[darrin terry]

I don't recall Curtis' story but I had a close call my first year fly fishing.

I was standing on the edge of the my local tailwater while it was raining (Feb. 2008 I think). It had been raining off and on for hours when it changed to hail. I kept fishing, all the while thinking to myself that I should stop as hail is almost always accompanied by lightning. A few minutes later, right as I startled reeling in my line, there was a brief buzzing (maybe it was the rod) followed by a bright flash and simultaneous thunder clap. I never saw a lightning bolt, just a hot spot of white light directly across from me on the other side of the river. I think it took me less than 20 seconds to reel in and high tail it into the trees 40 yards behind me. I broke down my rod, walked to the steel bridge that I had to cross in wet, metal studded, felt soled boots and went home.

I am sure others here have similar stories.

[fly addict]

Wow Darrin, That is way to close for comfort. Thanks for the heads-up on the link, I fixed it.
Mark

[WanderingBlues]

This is no joke!!!

Last summer, Kyle and I were on the Upper O. There were clouds looking angry over towards the White Moutains, but we were in sunshine. The wind started picking up and I told Kyle the storm was blowing across and we should call it.

As we were walking back to the Jeep, every hair on my body (and there ain't many) stood on end and I remember a metallic taste. I was walking with my gear in hand and looked down at my fly reel. It was arcing onto my wrist (still have the burn mark). I started to drop the gear when everything went white and the loudest "BOOM" I've ever heard went off. It knocked me down.

First thing I recall was looking for Kyle, who was about 20 yards away. He was on the ground, but getting up quickly. We ran back and got in the Jeep ASAP. He had the hair burnt off one arm.

In talking to a ranger, he said we got caught in an upstrike, which happens when a bolt hits the ground and the smaller bolts travel out of the ground. They found graphite fly rods, which made them very happy.

Anyway, scared the * out of both of us. I don't mess around with weather anymore...

[darrin terry]

I don't know Mark, but after reading Curtis' story, I am feeling pretty comfy at this point. It's no joke how close my situation was, but that is pretty hairy. It was not while fishing but Matt (a lot of you know him, maybe as Cheap Stuff) had a secondary strike while playing tennis a few years ago when he lived in Colorado. That may explain a thing or two for those who know him. He got the secondary strike off of the chain link fence after it was struck.

BTW, for those that don't know, it's not the rubber tires that are protecting you while in a vehicle. It's the metal body. It acts as a FARADAY CAGE conducting the electricity around you. So keep your hand off any exposed metal. My pickup for instance has just painted metal along the door at the windows base. My understanding is that you want to not be touching that kind thing if lightning hits the vehicle.

[WanderingBlues]

It was not while fishing but Matt (a lot of you know him, maybe as Cheap Stuff) had a secondary strike while playing tennis a few years ago when he lived in Colorado. That may explain a thing or two for those who know him.

Matt didn't get struck by lightning. Lightning got struck by Matt...... I miss him on the water. Perhaps the finest pinpoint caster I've seen.

[bassman]

Years ago a friend and I were fishing a small bay directly across the lake from the landing for walleyes. Much of the lake averaged 35-40' deep but there was a 6-8' spine right down the center of the lake. The sky was gray and lowering but no rain, no thunder, and with NO WARNING the rain opened up, the thunder started, and the lightning crashed. My friend said head straight across the lake to the landing and I fired up our mighty 3hp Elko motor and started to push out into the lake. About halfway to the reef in the center both of us felt a tingling and a bolt of lightning shot UP out of the reef, then froze into the jagged flash lightning takes. If anyone believes lightning only come down to ground, I can testify the ground lightning can reach up and meet the cloud charge.

I spun the boat around and we proceeded the long way around the lake as tight to shore as I could get without ruining prop on rocks. That was an experience I'll never forget.

There were 3 young guys camped in the boundary waters and a lightning crash hit a tree, tracked along the dry ground to water. Unfortunately the path followed was right thru their tent and when rescue team went looking for them all three were dead. One kid was a son of a guy I worked with. Sad time.