please read, really strange...

[Dave Stewart]

If you can hear the thunder...it can get you...you are lucky, this time.

[jlawson435]

I fish a lot in St pete FL When you fish on the Sunshine Skyway Pier as soon as you see lightning you stop fishing an get in your car. I have seen lightning look 10 miles away and then you will hear a huming noise running down the pier metal railing. There have been several people killed there from holding their rods and the rail even when it looks like the lightning is way off.

[natebosox]

if you look in last months field and stream magazine they had an article about ligthing striking a graphite rod. it blew him out of the water. you got lucky.