Man killed by lightning strike on Lake Harding

A reminder to beware of storms and lightning while out on a lake.

https://articles.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/man_killed_by_lightning_on_lak.amp

Prayers for his family. My wife and I have been caught twice last year in terrible storms about half way through a 5 mile river kayak fishing trip. There's not really anywhere good to get out and take shelter, but we did the best we could.

Scarry stuff prayers out. I to got overstayed my welcome at Hollis a few weeks ago with a bad storm. Got out on the bank and got as much coushion under my but to insulate me from the ground. Dang good reminder to respect nature.

Used to

be fearless, I was a Tournament Fisherman. Fished in all extremes, caught fish and won my share of Tourneys.
One of the worst downpour lightning/thunder storms I ever fished in was on Harding/Bartlett's Ferry. Still remember as it came up quickly, you could cast and your line was floating in the air and would not lay down on the water! What I know now I did not know or care back then was, somebody was fixing to get hit by lightning as the conditions were ripe. I still fish and duck hunt, but I do not have anything to do with it if it is storming. I was an Electrician for over 25 years, have had lightning gently hit me in my knees before while on damp ground, have seen lightning spark through un- made wire taps and I live on the end of a street on a hill where lightning has hit and killed several trees in my yard. The durndest thing I guess I have ever seen was where I hunt, lightning hit the ground and followed an old barbed wire fence partially under ground for a hundred or so yards and still attached to several trees, blowed up the ground and you could see through some of the trees!
Please don't play with around with Lightning!
Prayers sent for the family.

If you are caught unexpectedly:

A) How safe/unsafe is it to hide under a bridge on a boat?
B) Is it safer to park the boat on a bank and sit in it vs. to get out and sit or stand under (lots of) trees?

Lightning is a strange and unpredictable beast and not to be reckoned with, and for the most part there are no guarantees, especially when it comes to what it will not do.

I have always heard to stay from trees when it is lightning. Lightning can affect things near what it strikes.

I would think you would be better under a bridge, but don't touch the bridge. It would probably be better to get out of the boat if you can. Lightning could still be come in at an angle, and winds could be much stronger under the bridge.

Search for tips about being on a boat during lightning. I read one that said you should not hold the steering wheel with one hand and the side of the boat with the other. Some people use a wooden spoon to steer with one hand and put the other hand in their pocket. This assumes you are standing on an insulated surface.

Lighting killed my air conditioner yesterday .

LTZ25 said:

Lighting killed my air conditioner yesterday .

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Man that stinks. It could have always been worse though.

crankie said:

If you are caught unexpectedly:

B) Is it safer to park the boat on a bank and sit in it vs. to get out and sit or stand under (lots of) trees?

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Partly depends on what the boat is made of, and what the surroundings are like. Staying in an aluminum boat would probably not be a good idea.

It appears your chances are better standing near a bunch of trees versus standing by a lone tree. Just don't stand too close to more than one tree if possible.

If out in an open field, crouch down and make yourself as small as possible, but they say that if there is a taller object around, even a fence post, get about 30 feet from it. Even crouched down in an open field you are still the tallest object around.

These things are not guarantees you won't be struck, they just affect your chances.

The other day I was out on the river and thought I heard thunder. (Actually, I didn't want to admit it ) After a couple of more rolls of thunder, feeling raindrops, and seeing dark clouds coming in, I decided it was past time to go. I had just finished changing into dry shoes and getting into my car when the bottom dropped out. What got me were there others getting out of their cars and heading to the river with fishing gear. Even if they planned to wait until the storm passed before going out on the water, I still don't think I would have been walking around holding up two fishing rods with all the lightning that was going on, regardless of what they were made of.

To your point, an important question is if boaters and anglers have familiarized themselves with tips on what to do around lightning. It's one thing to say get out of the water as fast as possible, but what if you can't get out fast enough, and then what do you do once you do get out?

I don't see how in todays time ppl get stuck on the water in a storm. First thing I do is check my radar app. If I see anything on the water out comes the app. I aint playing around with no lighting. Don't give me some older ppl don't use phones like younger ppl bull..my grandpa is 74 with an iphone and radar app and he fishes and uses it every time he goes lol.

There is a phone app called lighting finder. It will send you a text when lighting strikes are detected within 10 miles of your location. I activate it anytime i am doing outside activity and there is a threat of storms. Its $5.99 i consider money well spent.

61BelAir said:

Man that stinks. It could have always been worse though.

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Lucky for me it was still under a no hassle warranty . They are replacing later today !!!

luigi said:

It appears your chances are better standing near a bunch of trees versus standing by a lone tree. Just don't stand too close to more than one tree if possible.

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Thanks luigi. I suspected that, but want to make sure I didn't miss something that could be important. All warning seems to refer to isolated tree or small group of trees. With lots of trees like we have around Georgia's lake, one should have a safer chance to be among lots of them (especially if you are closer to shorter one than nearby tall ones). Of course, the best chance is to not get caught in the storm.

And, you are right, you are much safer being in the car than not. It acts as a Faraday cage, basically. Thanks again for your feedbacks.

A tip I was given recently was to be aware of your surroundings at all times and identify the nearest empty picnic shelter (which often has restrooms)/boat slips. In the event a storm hits unexpectedly (more like you waited too long!), head to the nearest shelter/boat slips.

I've heard many suggestions but one I can't come to terms with is staying in your boat but do not touch anything metal as it acts like a Farady cage and current most likely would run through it passing to the next object.

toyota4x4h said:

I don't see how in todays time ppl get stuck on the water in a storm. First thing I do is check my radar app. If I see anything on the water out comes the app. I aint playing around with no lighting. Don't give me some older ppl don't use phones like younger ppl bull..my grandpa is 74 with an iphone and radar app and he fishes and uses it every time he goes lol.

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I do this too. I also usually stay fishing too. If I know there is a good chance it may rain. Which is everyday in July and August. I usually fish the same lake 90% of the time so I know of many open boat house I will run to before it gets bad. I survey for them while fish before the rain hits at what ever end of the lake I am at, so I know which ones is definitely open on that day.
I have never had anybody run me off. Mostly I guess they don't want to get wet themselves. I have had a couple holler at me asking if I would like to come inside the house though.

^^ Yep.. Open dock/ boat house.. I'm there.. I've even ran up on people's porch's .. Gently knocked on the door and very politely asked if I could ride the storm out there.. They always invite you inside. River folks just expect that kind of thing I guess. I know I wouldn't turn anyone away