Weather and Club Tourneys

[CMorg]

What do you guys do if they are calling for a chance of thunderstorms and you have a club tourney ? Still go ? I always just bow out , but I wondering if that is the wrong thing to do ?? Is the fishing better during this time of uncertain weather ? Do you load up the boat if it is storming ? I am really perticular about my boat , and I have to be honest , I hate it when it gets wet , I am sure it wont hurt anything , but I still dont like it..

[bcklash]

I don't mind my boat getting wet, in fact I love fishing in the rain, but I will not fish with sky cracking on me. I am chickenchit.

[CMorg]

Originally Posted by bcklash

I don't mind my boat getting wet, in fact I love fishing in the rain, but I will not fish with sky cracking on me. I am chickenchit.

So what do you do ? If you hear it in the distance do you just go back to the dock and load up the boat ? I have been told by our club prez that we can load up , then relaunch if it is raining/storming.

[bamabassman]

thunder doesn't bother me, the bolts do. so when i hear thunder......i count the seconds till i see the bolt. then if it is close, i head for the bank. otherwise, i fish. a little rain ain't gonna melt ya....unless you're like me, made of sugar. if you're made of chit (like ron) you'll float, hahahahaha!!

[rrw4258]

Originally Posted by bamabassman

thunder doesn't bother me, the bolts do. so when i hear thunder......i count the seconds till i see the bolt. then if it is close, i head for the bank. otherwise, i fish. a little rain ain't gonna melt ya....unless you're like me, made of sugar. if you're made of chit (like ron) you'll float, hahahahaha!!

LOL!!!


If there is bad weather during a club tourney, UNLESS THERE IS LIGHTNING, we will keep fishing no matter what. After all, we are out there to win, and nothing should get in the way of that, especially the weather. Now there are certain limitations to that though, if the weather is lightning, then don't take a chance, get back to the ramp ASAP. The tournament director is in charge, so if he makes a call then that is what goes... other than that KEEP FISHIN'!

Ryan

[bassboogieman]

I hate it when it gets wet

So............ it always stays on the trailer? My boat gets wet every time I launch it.

I'll fish in the rain, have fished in pouring rain in a tournament. I don't enjoy that, but a tournament is a tournament, but I seldom fish them anymore. Now, if it's raining before I start fishing, I probably won't start. Rain after I'm on the water usually won't drive me in. THUNDER - will get me off the water. LIGHTNING - I'm gone.

You are all aware graphite is an excellent conductior of electricity? Anyone standing on a boat deck, with a graphite rod in their hand, and hears thunder, should put the rod down and sit down also and head towards safety. Thunder is a result of lightning, if you hear thunder, lightning is occuring in the vicinity, and could be upon you in a very short period of time. It's absolutely NOTHING to fool with, expecially when you're on the water.

Not all lightning comes to earth, but all thunder comes AFTER lightning occurs. You will not hear the thunder clap of the lightning strike that hits you, and that strike may be the first one that comes to earth.

[Justin2729]

Unless i see lightning i stay i love fishing before and during a weather change.

[bcklash]

Originally Posted by CMorg

So what do you do ? If you hear it in the distance do you just go back to the dock and load up the boat ? I have been told by our club prez that we can load up , then relaunch if it is raining/storming.

Yes, I will get off the water.

[jdw174]

I'll put it this way....if you can hear thunder you can get stuck by lightning. I was fishing a creek on Kentucky Lake one day and could see a storm passing across the lake a few miles north of me. The area I was in was under blue skies. A bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and hit a tree on the other side of the cut I was fishing. Color me GONE!!! Lightning can, and often does travel sideways....up to 30 miles or more.

[carolina-rig-01]

I just suck it up and cuss and complain all the way to the lake and keep an eye on the sky while I am fishing. our lakes have tons of marinas to duck into and get out of the weather if the storm gets too close.

[Tavery5]

Striking Statistics

Americans are twice as likely to die from lightning than from a hurricane, tornado or flood.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates there are 200 deaths and 750 severe injuries from lightning each year in the U.S.

20% of all lightning victims die from the strike.

70% of survivors will suffer serious long-term effects.

Annually, there are more than 10,000 forest fires caused by lightning.

Who's at Risk?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

85% of lightning victims are children and young men aged 10-35 engaged in outdoor recreation and work activities outside.

70% of all lightning injuries and fatalities occur in the afternoon.

Most lightning deaths involve people working outdoors and outdoor recreationists

Lightning in remote terrain creates dangerous conditions. Hikers, campers, backpackers, skiers, fishermen, and hunters are especially vulnerable when they're participating in these activities.

Many survivors of lightning strikes report that immediately before being struck their hair was standing on end and they had a metallic taste in their mouth.

Long-term injuries from a lightning strike can include memory & attention loss, chronic numbness, muscle spasms & stiffness, depression, hearing loss, and sleep disturbance.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

Striking Statistics

Americans are twice as likely to die from lightning than from a hurricane, tornado or flood.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates there are 200 deaths and 750 severe injuries from lightning each year in the U.S.

20% of all lightning victims die from the strike.

70% of survivors will suffer serious long-term effects.

Annually, there are more than 10,000 forest fires caused by lightning.

Who's at Risk?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

85% of lightning victims are children and young men aged 10-35 engaged in outdoor recreation and work activities outside.

70% of all lightning injuries and fatalities occur in the afternoon.

Most lightning deaths involve people working outdoors and outdoor recreationists

Lightning in remote terrain creates dangerous conditions. Hikers, campers, backpackers, skiers, fishermen, and hunters are especially vulnerable when they're participating in these activities.

Many survivors of lightning strikes report that immediately before being struck their hair was standing on end and they had a metallic taste in their mouth.

Long-term injuries from a lightning strike can include memory & attention loss, chronic numbness, muscle spasms & stiffness, depression, hearing loss, and sleep disturbance.

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this Tony.

[CMorg]

Wow Tavery , that was some good info.. Where did you find all that ? I need to post that on my clubs website. And Crig , we fish small waters around here in southen indiana and illinois. There are no places to get out of the weather. I went today , there was a 40% chance , and it didnt do anything. Not even rain untill I was on my way home , then rained almost all the way , inside of my boat is now nasty... I guess I am just a clean freak. My boat is a 1999 and the carpet is spotless , as are the seats and just about everything else , it has the used aluminum look , but I keep it clean.

[bassinbob]

Caught my PB after a downpour. No lightning but a ton of rain. As soon as I hear thunder I'm on my way to the ramp. Always can go out later or another time.

[carolina-rig-01]

I know what you mean about being a neat freak. I wipe my boat down everytime I pull her out of the water, wash it with hull cleaner after every trip, and I wax her every 3rd trip to the lake. I know it's a boat, and they will get a few scratches now and then but so far I have avoided putting the first scratch in her and I still put her in some places that make me uneasy. But to me there is no excuse for not keeping a boat clean. Hull cleaner and marine wax is cheap and it doesn't take me but about 15 minutes to wash my boat from head to toe and it's 21 feet long and is a dual console. It kills me to see guys not take care of their boats. I'm not saying a guy has got to be scared to use one but just keep them clean. Boats aren't cheap and you should take pride in them.

Sorry to get side tracked. Personally I wouldn't let a chance of a thunderstorm in a forecast keep me off the water. Even if you don't have marinas or docks to seek shelter in you could just not run as far from the launch as you otherwise might, so you could hop back in the truck if things got bad. Just look at what happened to you today, the weather man is seldom right and if you stayed home today you would have missed a trip to the lake for nothing.

[Tavery5]

I found it on a web site, I searched "facts about lightning". I didn't find the one I was looking for, but I thought that some of the info I posted really applied to you guys that have to balance wanting to do well in a tourney with your personal safety.

Hope everyone has a safe and great year of fishing in 2011

[3dkicker]

I get off the water with thunderstorms. Seen too many bad things happen.

I was on the River the day the tornado hit LaPlata, MD. The storm crossed right over us. If I had known how bad it was going to be I never would have run up the river.

[Embrey]

been out in all of it. nothin stops me unless the lightning moves in hardcore. ive fished daylight to dark in bigtime rain. only thing i dont care much for is lightning,or rain combined with wind gusts. gets a little rediculous.i usually fish in the rain on purpose. nobodys there and its pretty peaceful