lightning on Saturday pm

[Guest]

My buddy and I had a few scary minutes late pm, about 5, on south end Mille Lacs.
Picked up the graphite rods and had constant crackling like static electricity at the hand gripping the rods. Laid them down and waited. within about 50 to 10 minutes the rain cloud overhead had developed into a thunderhead and was shooting lighting. By now was well south of lake. Whehh. EVer have that happen?

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[Guest]

steelhead....yes ...years ago in a similar situation,abuddy of mine and i were out looking for crappies..sky was actually not that overcast ,except for one dark cloud(a bigger one)...wind died down completely, water was dead calm,i was using a super ultralight rod and 4 lb. line....i cast out a 1/32 ounce jig about 50'...i was amazed at what happened next....the line hung in midair....it just stayed about 8 feet above the water for about (what seemed to be)5 seconds or more...before the weight of the jig pulled it down...all that static electricity in the air from the approaching storm ...it was a little scary for sure....... lol...i certainly learned from this experience...a storm approaches ...."i'm otta here"...jon

[musky hunter]

Whenever you notice a phenomenon like that, get out a dodge quick! You are in a strong electric field and lightning is emminent! Other signs to watch for is hair standing up. It could be the hair on you're head or on you're arm. I was coaching a girls soccer team one humid day when I called the team over and one girl was all giggles about the funny hair day she was having. The girl next to her also was having a funny hair day. The whole team was! I've also heard others report about mono line just hanging up in the air. There doesn't have to be previous lightning either. Lightning can also travel 20 miles in any direction from a cloud before striking the ground. Even if the cloud has passed and the sun is out, the back side is still dangerous. I'd recommend that for folks who like to spend time outdoors to take the National Weather Service Skywarn training. It's a two hour class and it's free! I'ts fun and packed with info on what to watch for. It's given in the spring and you can find a schedule on the net on their website.

[huskminn]

I've had a very similar experience on Mille Lacs....graphite rods crackling, getting slight shocks when the rod is in an upright position...looking over to see my long-haired buddy's hair doing the Pippi-Longstocking out from under his cap. This all took place in a span of 15 seconds and I told him to throw his rod down and we got the heck out of there. We got off the lake without incident.

We had seen lightening 10-15 miles to the west just a few minutes before, but no "storm" clouds were anywhere overhead.

Another time, with the same guy, we were night fishing on Rush Lake....overcast night with a steady light drizzle. After about an hour of rain, I noticed that there was a blue "flame" coming out of the end of my rod when I held it straight up in the air. My buddy found the same thing on the end of his rod.

It was the same color as a natural gas cooking flame, but slightly more faint.

I told him that, considering our unscathed experience on Mille Lacs, we may want to head in to avoid tempting fate. He agreed.

I hate lightening and leave at first sighting of it.......but these things both happened when good, old paranoid me thought we were safe and sound.

[Guest]

I had the same experience last year in a local tournament. It was drizzling and it got dead calm. I casted out and my line stayed in the air. Then it happened to my partners and it stayed up there for a long time. I told him to get down and we did. It wasn't a minute and there was a huge crack near us. We were fishing near shore and hadn't seen or heard anything that would make you think lightning was in the area. We pulled to shore and waited things out! So, be careful it is not worth taking the chance.ScottS

[Fisher Dave]

I had a similar experience in the metro area with the electricity.

The 3 in my boat were alerted to the situation when I cast out my slip bobber and left my spool free for the bait to drop... Needless to say what happened next was not expected. My 4 or 6 lb test stripped off my reel as if I were making a long cast strait into the air. Moments after that my air-headed fishing partner thought it was hilarious to see the hat getting pulled off my head by my long hair jerking irradicly into the sky in various directions.

The motor was immediately fired up and on a wide open plane in a direct path for the nearest shore(with the anchor skipping across the water behind us).

Successfully beaching my boat at nearly 25mph we came to a complete stop in a homeowners back yard (well into their back yard) My hair still on end and violently dancing, I made a run for cover(flee in terror). I made it to cover. Seconds later my fishing partners made it to the same area as I did.

As I calmed down when my hair layed back into a normal position and the heart rate dropping, we all were blinded and deafened momentarily when a bolt of lightning struck the boat lift on the dock of the yard we took shelter in.

The skies were blue directly above us. There was a storm about 10-20 miles NW of us. The skies looked grey in that direction, but thunderheads were not visible.

I guess the moral of this incident is if you do experience these electrical surges, get to safety immediately. My quick actions may of saved my life, or one of my partners lives that day.

At that time and now, I always payed close attention to the radar and barometer before venturing onto any lake. Call me paranoid but I havent shortened the length of my hair either. I learned the hard way the unexpected can and will happen .. none of us know to whom it will or when.

Be safe out there and pay close attention to your surroundings, it may save your life and others around you.

Fisher Dave

[huskminn]

Wow!! And I thought I had a close call!

[Thomas]

i had the same experience on saterday - threw my rod down - away from my gas tank - it was very scary experience, but luckly beyone the shocks, nothing further happened.

[Guest]

Thomas,
I was wondering what part of the lake you were on Saturday when you had the electrified pole? Was it the south end, off from the old Murry Beach area where there was a group of about 10 boats?
We were not in that group but perhaps several hundred yards away and I wondered if they were experiencing the same we were or if it was more selective.

[Blaze]

I also had a "levitating line" experience on Lake Vermilion standing on a dock with the hair on my arms doing a Don King imitation while my rod crackled like an AM radio.

I felt pretty fortunate compared to a guy who came flying in from the lake after having an arc flash from his jig to the bolts in the bench of the boat he was in. Never seen a guy take a diving leap from a 16' aluminum boat as it completely beaches on the resort landing. The little 15hp Johnson was just screamin as he hit the beach and finally died after coming to a complete stop. Scary, but quite humorous to watch.