thunder stroms

[the pescador]

:hammer:Has any one been cought fishing in a storm ? just got back one rod short, went out every thing seemed ok set up one hour nothing worth talking about then it started to get over cast, do i stay or do i go ? i stayed bad idea thunder and lightnig started time to go, packed up first rod no problem got hold of second rod whoooo wat a belt through the rod wrong way stght in to the sea down it went will go back in the morning to see if i can find it just to say the storm was a long way a way maby ten miles.i new it can be dangerus fishing in a storm but i thought it so far away would be ok.

[captaincojones]

:hammer:Has any one been cought fishing in a storm ? just got back one rod short, went out every thing seemed ok set up one hour nothing worth talking about then it started to get over cast, do i stay or do i go ? i stayed bad idea thunder and lightnig started time to go, packed up first rod no problem got hold of second rod whoooo wat a belt through the rod wrong way stght in to the sea down it went will go back in the morning to see if i can find it just to say the storm was a long way a way maby ten miles.i new it can be dangerus fishing in a storm but i thought it so far away would be ok.

blimey mate you were lucky!
i think that rods,carbon rods especially, can pick up static from a storm a long way away.
hopefully you can get it back.
i could see the storm clouds passing well south of me,,,must have been yours!!

[the pescador]

ye very lucky thanks mate the sea is not to bad at the moment so hopfully will find the rod in morning

[the pescador]

just thinking dont boats have a carbon mast ?

[Beachcomber_Bar_Mojacar]

Cor that was lucky and I didnt realise you could get a shock without lightning actually hitting the rod, scary eh?

John Beachcomber.

[the pescador]

manged to get my rod back today a bit scrached but it seems ok, reel full of water so will strip it down and re greese it later.think i will wait for the wether to get a bit warmer before i go swiming again sea was bluddy freezing.

[captaincojones]

you ought to post this in the main shore fishing section, as a "heads up" to warn others.:fishing1:

[DAVID 123]

I photograph lightning, if your out in the open and can hear the thunder, you are at risk,






I photograph lightning, if you are out in the open and can hear thunder, you are at risk. ( When you see the flash, stick your head between your legs, and kiss yer ass good nite )

[Naughtydorf18]

I was caught in quite a few storms (us yanks never learn). I felt the static in my hair and heavness of the air. Not all speed boats can outrun storms. Curse dem 4 strokes

[kdnewton5]

i fished off a beach in north wales, when there was thunder n lightning all around the coast, it was night, none over head but it was within a ten mile radius of me, i caught a coalie n some dogfish

[bobbage]

Have a read through this report from last year. I'm a lucky fella!!!

http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69504

[mikev8]

A little off topic but, when surfing when storms are around you can see lightning hitting the water out to sea. Often when it happens fish boil around me. Usually mullet and I wonder how close it needs to be before I get zapped or even if the effect will do anything to me? Also does wearing a wetsuit help insulate me?

[jack-the-kipper]

lightning can strike you from as far away as 10miles,i onced wrestled with a stuck century 3cld on selsey west beach whilst a storm passed just east of bognor!,lucky or what:thumbs:

[John Mason]

General guidance for lightning is that if you can hear thunder you run the risk of getting struck. Lightning can and does strike out of a thunderstorm's anvil (the flat top of the cloud) - this can spread out many miles downwind from the core of the storm where all the rain, hail etc is going on - hence you can be several miles from the storm yet still be in danger from the proverbial "bolt from the blue".

I just don't go fishing when thundery showers are forecast - I photograph storms anyway, so I'm doing that instead!

Cheers - John

[nemofish2000]

From what i have seen on tv programs does'nt the object that gets struck send a tracer up for the lightening to strike it. Just a thought what you felt might of been your rod or you yourself sending up the tracer.

[John Mason]

From what i have seen on tv programs does'nt the object that gets struck send a tracer up for the lightening to strike it. Just a thought what you felt might of been your rod or you yourself sending up the tracer.

That's quite possible, yes.

Basically, when there is a lot of charge difference between the cloud and the ground, tall objects on the ground - trees, people, hilltops, buildings, fishing rods etc etc send out positively-charged streamers of highly ionised air. These are why your hair starts standing on end.

The many streamers head up into the air whilst from the cloud there descend many negatively-charged stepped leaders. It's almost as if the two types are feeling for one another. This can go on for a while: it is only when two of these make contact that a circuit is created and lightning instantaneously discharges down the path created for it.

Typically a lightning strike carries maybe 30,000 amps at 10,000,000 volts, but there is another type of lightning - positive lightning - which creates "superbolts". These discharge to ground from the upper parts of thunderclouds and are commoner in winter storms for a number of reasons - main worry with these is that they can pack a hell of a punch at 300,000 amps/1 billion volts for a bad'un!

Never underestimate a winter thunderstorm!

Cheers - John