safety question. what to do when storms come up quick on lake. lightning.

[brlfishing]

i have been fortunate to not get caught out in any thunderstorms the past two years i have been fishing tournaments. but, i was wanting to know, what is the safest thing to do if you have a thunderstorm come up suddenly like they do in the summertime and you are in a part of the lake where you cant get to a boat dock with a roof over it. i would think getting into a cove to get out of the winds and current, but if it gets bad (lots of lightning) what do most people do. im sure its bound to happen to me one day and would like to know what most people do in this situation. thanks in advance.
brlfishing.

[Shimano4Life]

Just for starters, try to find some visible shelter -- covered docks, slips, buildings at a marina, even a port-a-john will keep you dry. Just wait it out.

[brlfishing]

the only covered areas on the lake are narrows and pennisula marina areas. i was just curious what people have done if they are in a position where they cant get into any visible cover.

[walkeraviator]

AS good place to start is to know where NOT to go. Get off the water... tie off the boat and get away from teh water... then get as low as you can away from trees as much as possible. Do NOT go into a cave for shelter.

Your best defense is to be prepared. if the weather starts to go south, fish closer to a marina...some of my best holes on barren are within a mile or two of teh narrows... keep an eye on teh sky and dont get caught...

[apb]

... keep an eye on teh sky and dont get caught...

If you have a marine band radio it will likely have a weather channel. Info from the national weather service updated as conditions change. This can also give you some forewarning that you need to head back to the ramp.

Andrew

[DJD]

Just for starters, try to find some visible shelter -- covered docks, slips, buildings at a marina, even a port-a-john will keep you dry. Just wait it out.

I hear ya but I'm not feeling that option of going into a port-a-jon. Bad winds can make an already bad time.....crappy.

[BRS]

In the US, lightning kills on average, nearly 80 people a year. So treat the threat seriously. Don't stand under a lone tree or out in an open field. You are safe inside your car. If you are on a lake, GET OFF. If you are caught in an open field it is best to crouch down.

[Grumpy]

Three or four times I have been in my aluminum boat, shaking a metal (graphite) stick at the skies when an unexpected thunder and lighening storm came up. Each time, I went to the nearest TREE LINED cove or shoreline that I could get to fast. I beached the boat and went into and under the nearest big bunch of trees. All of the advice says you shouldn't get under a tree but I figure that if I am under a bunch of trees, of about unifrom height, and not under ONE LONE TREE, then the lightening is not likely to hit the particular tree I am under and will look for something that stands out, hopefully a ways away from me. Since I am here to write this, my idea has worked so far.

Grumpy

[Shimano4Life]

I hear ya but I'm not feeling that option of going into a port-a-jon. Bad winds can make an already bad time.....crappy.

I was only giving options. May be the only thing available.

I agree with apb, the marine band radio is also great. I also use my phone to pull up the most recent radar and weather if it is ever in question with the Weather Channel application. Works like a charm and has kept me dry and warm several times.

[Jbyrd]

If you are in a fiberglass boat pull into a cove and just let the boat slide up on the bank. Stay in it if you look around almost everything is higher than you. just huddle up and ride it out. If it is your time to go nothing will stop it . Be prepared to meet God if it happens ... lol

[MagikSmallie]

If not around cover such as docks, slips and what not...I would beach the boat get out on the shoreline head for the treeline and make sure not to stand on tree roots, and I would just wait it out...thats all you can really do..if you can't get to cover....

[hairball]

If you find yourself in this scenario out of the boat and standing on the ground, it is an excellent idea to stand on one leg or at least keep your feet close together (senator Larry Craig could have benefited from that advice). Sounds crazy, but there is actually some good fundamental science behind it. The flow of electricity is all about difference in potential. It flows from an area of higher potential to an area of lower potential. If there is an electrical strike in the area where you happen to be standing, there will be current running through the ground. If you are standing on one leg, there is no complete path for the current to run through. The wider your stance, the greater the potential difference, therefore the greater the chances of having something extremely unpleasant, even deadly, happen.