Walter & Group........
Very worthwhile information in David Lambert's message with the NOAA link.
Gordy
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Answers on storm questions from Pat Blackwell, in blue type. My comments in bold red type.... Gordy:-
Here is a little quiz on what to do when fly fishing or casting as a
storm approaches:
1.) You are giving a workshop at a
conclave with 15 attendees. Your venue is a football field . A
T-storm is approaching.
What do you do ?
Move
indoors.
Agree .... as soon as you possibly can. If
cars are closer, get to them and close doors and car windows.
G.
2.) As an experience river guide, you have two
sports in your river boat .. Fly fishing has been good this
afternoon. Now, a T-storm is looming and getting
closer. What do you do ?
Get off
the water, seek shelter away from the water and any tall trees.
Agree. You may not find prime indoor
shelter, in which case in which case secondary shelters such as
picnic shelters, etc, may have to suffice, though none of these are
completely safe. If no shelter available, crouch in the lowest
ditch or valley you can find, feet together, head bowed down. DO NOT "TAKE
SHELTER" BENEATH A TREE !
G.
3.) Fishing in a river with waders
has resulted in a couple of nice bows. Now you are threatened by a
T-storm. Heavy woods nearby. Your next move ?
Out of the water, seek shelter under a down tree on the
edge of the woods or in a stand of short trees.
Some theorize that you would be safe in a grove of trees if about
the same height.
While hunting I've found
numerous trees that have literally exploded from lighting strikes. Some of the splinters are 14 to 15 feet long and as much 18" wide.
One usually finds the splinters and traces them back to the tree sometimes
as much 100 feet away. So much for the safety of a grove of trees of
the same height.
YES to getting out of the water. Sometimes
the river runs through heavy woods so you can't avoid being under the trees. If
there is a choice, however, I'd feel safer down low away from the trees.
One reason, is that some trees have roots which extend way out in every
direction and you may be situated right over them. If the lightning hits
that tree, the jolt may be transmitted right to you.
G.
4.) You are in your skiff about 12 miles
from home base out on the salt water flats of the Florida Keys. Nearest
land is a group of mangrove islands about a mile away. As a storm
approaches, you hear thunder and see lightning. This storm is between you
and home base and it threatens to expand right over you. Every time
you raise up your graphite push pole, it vibrates. What do you do ?
Move to the lee side of the mangrove islands, put the
push pole vertically into the bottom, allowing it to act as a lighting
rod. Stand off a hundred yards or so.
I, once, ruined a $500.00 push pole that way ...... now, they can cost twice that . That erzatz, "lightning rod", we've been informed, won't give your any real protection unless you are literally within its, "cone of protection" which is within a circle the diameter of which is 1/2 the height of the pole. Anything we do is a compromize and not truly, "safe". In practice, I do move to the lee side of the island (if I have time) and put out 2 anchors. The anchor rode is salt water drenched and so is a conductor which offers some degree of grounding. I have had all my electrical stuff and electronics grounded to the main ground which is, in turn, grounded to the outboard engine .... So I leave my lower unit down in the water.
Then we get way down onto the floor of the skiff on either side of the console (if there is one) and wait it out.
Running your skiff can be dangerous. You are
holding a metal steering wheel which is grounded. My buddy, Tom El Ramey
and I were foolishly trying to outrun an approaching thunderboomer years ago,
when we were struck by lightning ..... shorted out my engine. I got a
terrific jolt and dropped to the deck partially paralyzed. Drifted
way off in drenching rain. An hour later I was fine.
G.
5.) Dolphin fishing is your thing.
You've already taken a couple of good fish near a weed line 22 miles off shore
East of Miami. You are fishing from a 23' open console boat. A T-storm is
approaching you from the West, and another one is making up in the South.
What do you do ?
Run North by Northwest, you
don't want to get caught in an area where 2 thunder heads are coming
together.
Yes.
G.
6.) A T-storm approaches as you are fishing a
small stream near a bridge for brookies. What is your best move ?
Under the bridge.
Yes. (Unless a car or safe house is
available.) G.
7.) You are on a 30 mile long remote and
uninhabited beach at East Cape, Baja trying to catch roosterfish on a fly.
There are big sand dunes behind you. Your guide had dropped you off from a
dune buggy, so you are alone. A T-storm is making up and appears to be
coming right down the beach from the North. Your best move ?
Move to a low spot in the dunes.
Yes, I have done that ...... even
quickly dug a sand ditch in which to crouch. You want to be betwee two big
dunes if you can manage it. If you are with buddies, make sure you don't
all try to get into the same ditch. Be about 20' apart so you don't make a
collective, "ground".
8.) You are in your 17' skiff
at the edge of a flat way out in the Marquesas Islands, 30 miles West of Key
West. A weather front hits with winds of 50 MPH from the Northwest.
What do you do ?
Head into the wind, get on the lee side
tight against an island.
Yes. Sometimes these winds can be ferocious and you skiff too small to handle the seas. Your anchor can drag as you get swept out to deep water.
SO
I use a trick I learned from a commercial fisherman: I have a 10 lb. lead trolling ball attached to a carabiner clip. I clip this to my anchor rode and let it slip down the rode. This immediately triples the holding power of my anchor. Sailors call this a, "sentinal". The Navy calls it a, "Kellet". Even with this, I'll put out a second anchor and wait it out.
The first blast of a tropical weather front is usually the worst, so it is worth waiting before making any attempt to brave it by running back home. When attempting to get home, make certain your bilge pumps are working, hatches are secure, life jackets either on or readily available, engine cut-off lanyard secured to your wrist ..... and a bucket at the ready for hand bailing. Also: have something available as a sea anchor. If you lose power on the way in terrible seas, get this overboard immediately. If you don't, the first wave comes in the skiff as it goes broadside to the weather and the second or third puts you down.
Before starting back in very rough seas, its a good idea to call to shore or to the Coast Guard on your VHF radio (your cell phone won't work out there) to notify them of your position and intended route.
I, also, calculate the prevailing tidal current
across my intended route and wait until that current is not in a direction
opposite that of the wind. (This is very important when traversing tidal
channels.) G.
9.) You and your buddy are fishing a flat
in the Bahamas in a 16' light skiff. Your mother ship is 10 miles
away. No Islands in sight. You have a VHF radio and a hand held
GPS. The weather is closing in and there are nasty T-storms in every
direction. How do you handle this one ?
Call the
mother ship, notify them of your current GPS position. Continue to keep the
mother ship informed of your position as you head towards the mother
ship.
OK if the storms are a good distance away.
If close and coming on, I take the chance (it's a risk) of making a quick
call to the mother ship to notify them of my position and
intention.... then I get off the radio toot sweet and take down my
antenna. I don't start back to the ship if the storms are close; rather
head for the shallowest place on the flats and anchor as in #
4.).
G.
10.)
The fishing has been slow out on the flat ..... no bonefish. No
wind. No thunder or lightning. A black cloud approaches with a
waterspout which is kicking up a lot of water. It seems to be coming right
at your from the north. Your home base is well South of you. What do
you do ?
Move in a 45 degree angle away from and towards
the path of the water spout. Allowing the water spout to move by you (as
quickly as possible) at the same time you are moving away from its
direction.
Advice from NOAA is to move at 90 degrees from
its apparent path.
G.
11.) Same
scenario as in 10.) ....... Your outboard motor won't start
! Now what ?
Secure everything you
can in the boat, make sure your PFD is on properly. I wouldn't put out an
anchor, the boat could get pulled under if the anchor line is tight and the bow
is pulled into a large wave. If a sea anchor is available I would use
it.
Bob Andreae and I have had my skiff suffer a direct hit by a twister in the Content Keys, years ago at about 10 am after some great permit fishing.
Sunk my boat and literally threw me or, "sucked" me out of the skiff. My father ( Pop Hill) was with us. We had run from the twister.... but foolishly didn't check its path. Tied up to a big black mangrove tree on what appeared to be the lee side of West Content at the shore. The twister surprised us by turning and coming right at us .... so fast we had no time to prepare. Fortunately we were in very shallow water.
The large tree to which we were tethered was felled by the storm right onto my sunk skiff. Its fall was broken only by my push pole platform...... but it hit Pop in the head and cramed his face right down into the bowl of the console steering wheel . When the twister left, it went and cut a swath across a couple other uninhabited islands, then took the roof off a couple of homes on Cudjoe Key and destroyed a part of a trailer camp before going out into the Straits.
We thought Pop was dead ..... blood all over the console. Turned out he only had a bloody nose. Took Bob and me hours to cut the trunk of that tree off him with fishing knives so we could get his head out! My main engine was drowned..... but I had a little, "kicker" get-home engine. That was drowned, too. I took it apart and cleaned the pistons and carburator with fresh water, dried it out in the sun, siphoned some gas from the main tank and got it started. Drained the sunk skiff as the tide went out. We got back home by the next morning.
Now, I watch the twister very carefully to see
what direction it is taking. I run 90 degrees from it. If I can't
run, I DO use the anchor. Trick in preventing being pulled under, is to
use a buoy on the line. If you don't have one, use a PFD Class, IV
(cushion) or even a Class I or II
device. G.
12.) I was fishing a flat just Northeast of
the Bahia Honda-Ohio bridge in the lower Florida Keys when a big T-storm
hit. What do you think I did ?
Moved under the
bridge next to a piling, if possible on the lee side of the piling.
Anchor beneath the bridge midway between the
pilings. G.
13.) A large thunderstorm is a few miles
East of you. The radar report on the VHF radio says that it is moving East
away from your area ..... HOWEVER, it certainly seems to be getting
closer.... not farther. What do you think is happening ?
The cell is expanding at a rate faster than it is moving
away.
YES !
G.
These are real life
scenarios I've actually experienced. No. 12.) happened this morning .
No. 4.) happened just day before yesterday. Let's see how
you would have handled
these.
Gordy
Earlier this week I was
watching a program on lighting. One of the reports was on a golfer that was
struck by lighting. The narrator commented that the probable reason
he survived, is he had a golf club in his hand at the moment he was struck.
This created a path of discharge away from his internal organs.
I wouldn't want to be the fly
fisherman that tested this theory.
Regards
Pat Blackwell
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Northern Australia is known as the, "lightning capital of the world" during, "THE WET" (Their remarkable rainy season). Tony Loader reports from, "down under" with his answers :-
Here is a little quiz on what to do when fly fishing or casting as a storm approaches:
1.) You are giving a workshop at a conclave with 15 attendees. Your venue is a football field . A T-storm is approaching.
What do you do ? Stop waving rods as soon as thunder can be heard. Seek shelter in a substantial building or a vehicle. Recommence no sooner than 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
2.) As an experience river guide, you have two sports in your river boat ... Fly fishing has been good this afternoon. Now, a T-storm is looming and getting closer. What do you do ? Leave the boat and/or shelter under the densest low bankside foliage available. Not near tall trees.
3.) Fishing in a river with waders has resulted in a couple of nice bows. Now you are threatened by a T-storm. Heavy woods nearby. Your next move ? Shelter under the densest low foliage available. Not near tall trees.
4.) You are in your skiff about 12 miles from home base out on the salt water flats of the Florida Keys. Nearest land is a group of mangrove islands about a mile away. As a storm approaches, you hear thunder and see lightning. This storm is between you and home base and it threatens to expand right over you. Every time you raise up your graphite push pole, it vibrates. What do you do ? Stow the pole and any graphite rods, horizontally and don't touch them again. Head for the island. Leave the boat and/or shelter under the lowest densest foliage available.
5.) Dolphin fishing is your thing. You've already taken a couple of good fish near a weed line 22 miles off shore East of Miami. You are fishing from a 23' open console boat. A T-storm is approaching you from the West, and another one is making up in the South. What do you do ? Stow the rods. Run for shelter in Miami.
(Tony probably didn't know this, but if the storm is approaching from the west, it is coming from Miami.) G.
6.) A T-storm approaches as you are fishing a small stream near a bridge for brookies. What is your best move ? If the bridge is a substantial one, it probably has a lightning conductor so shelter under the bridge. If it's not a substantial bridge, shelter under the densest low foliage away from the bridge and from tall trees.
7.) You are on a 30 mile long remote and uninhabited beach at East Cape, Baja trying to catch roosterfish on a fly. There are big sand dunes behind you. Your guide had dropped you off from a dune buggy, so you are alone. A T-storm is making up and appears to be coming right down the beach from the North. Your best move ? Ball yourself up in the deepest depression you can find in the dunes. Lay your rod horizontally on the sand well away from you.
8.) You are in your 17' skiff at the edge of a flat way out in the Marquesas Islands, 30 miles West of Key West. A weather front hits with winds of 50 MPH from the Northwest. What do you do ? Anchor or beach the skiff in the best lee you can find and wait for the front to pass.
9.) You and your buddy are fishing a flat in the Bahamas in a 16' light skiff. Your mother ship is 10 miles away. No Islands in sight. You have a VHF radio and a hand held GPS. The weather is closing in and there are nasty T-storms in every direction. How do you handle this one ? Make a position report to your mother ship. Advise that you will be tracking direct toward their position at best speed and ask that they make their best speed on a reciprocal course until they have you in sight. Both to maintain a sharp lookout and frequent GPS position updates.
Ordinarily, this would be good advice. In the Bahamas, however, the mother ship is likely to draw much too much water to proceed anywhere near your position on the flats. Also, we sometimes have had 4 or even 5 skiffs at different postions, so we usually don't want the mother ship to move. Gordy
10.) The fishing has been slow out on the flat ..... no bonefish. No wind. No thunder or lightning. A black cloud approaches with a waterspout which is kicking up a lot of water. It seems to be coming right at your from the north. Your home base is well South of you. What do you do ? Run for your home base without delay. Change course at right angles if the waterspout seems to be overtaking you. Maintain max distance from the waterspout until it dissipates
11.) Same scenario as in 10.) ....... Your outboard motor won't start ! Now what ? In all of the boat based scenarios above, primary actions would include putting on a life jacket and using your radio transceiver (if so equipped) to advise rescue services of your situation and your plans. In this case it's even more crucial. After making the call batten down everything possible, deploy a sea anchor or a long anchor rope off the bow, keep as low as possible in the boat and hang on.
Tony brings up a point I forgot. It is best to have an anchor rode scope of at least 10 to even 20 times the length of the depth in which you are anchored. ( If anchored in 4 ' of water, have a minimum of 40' of anchor line.) Also: for storm or night anchoring, be sure your breakaway anchor system is blocked with direct shackle connections or a carabiner. (Former is safer.) G.
12.) I was fishing a flat just Northeast of the Bahia Honda-Ohio bridge in the lower Florida Keys when a big T-storm hit. What do you think I did ? Sheltered under the bridge?
13.) A large thunderstorm is a few miles East of you. The radar report on the VHF radio says that it is moving East away from your area ..... HOWEVER, it certainly seems to be getting closer.... not farther. What do you think is happening ? It's probably increasing in size and likely in intensity. Run away to the West on suspicion.
These are real life scenarios I've actually experienced. No. 12.) happened this morning . No. 4.) happened just day before yesterday. Let's see how you would have handled these.
Gordy
Storm answers from Paul Arden:
1.) You are giving a workshop at a conclave with 15 attendees. Your venue is a football field . A T-storm is approaching. What do you do ?
A. Put on a raincoat.
2.) As an experience river guide, you have two sports in your river boat ... Fly fishing has been good this afternoon. Now, a T-storm is looming and getting closer. What do you do ?
A. Change method to a black lure.
3.) Fishing in a river with waders has resulted in a couple of nice bows. Now you are threatened by a T-storm. Heavy woods nearby. Your next move ?
A. Could be time to switch over to small wets, but the black lure usually nails them.
4.) You are in your skiff about 12 miles from home base out on the salt water flats of the Florida Keys. Nearest land is a group of mangrove islands about a mile away. As a storm approaches, you hear thunder and see lightning. This storm is between you and home base and it threatens to expand right over you. Every time you raise up your graphite push pole, it vibrates. What do you do ?
A. Go for a swim.
5.) Dolphin fishing is your thing. You've already taken a couple of good fish near a weed line 22 miles off shore East of Miami. You are fishing from a 23' open console boat. A T-storm is approaching you from the West, and another one is making up in the South. What do you do ?
A. Head north.
6.) A T-storm approaches as you are fishing a small stream near a bridge for brookies. What is your best move ?
A. Keep low.
7.) You are on a 30 mile long remote and uninhabited beach at East Cape, Baja trying to catch roosterfish on a fly. There are big sand dunes behind you. Your guide had dropped you off from a dune buggy, so you are alone. A T-storm is making up and appears to be coming right down the beach from the North. Your best move ?
A. Dig a big hole, bury yourself in sand and breathe through the second section of the rod.
8.) You are in your 17' skiff at the edge of a flat way out in the Marquesas Islands, 30 miles West of Key West. A weather front hits with winds of 50 MPH from the Northwest. What do you do ?
A. Consider taking up indoor table tennis as a hobby.
9.) You and your buddy are fishing a flat in the Bahamas in a 16' light skiff. Your mother ship is 10 miles away. No Islands in sight. You have a VHF radio and a hand held GPS. The weather is closing in and there are nasty T-storms in every direction. How do you handle this one ?
A. Pray.
10.) The fishing has been slow out on the flat ..... no bonefish. No wind. No thunder or lightning. A black cloud approaches with a waterspout which is kicking up a lot of water. It seems to be coming right at your from the north. Your home base is well South of you. What do you do ?
A. Look out for storms.
11.) Same scenario as in 10.) ....... Your outboard motor won't start ! Now what ?
A. That's what I'd be wondering.
12.) I was fishing a flat just Northeast of the Bahia Honda-Ohio bridge in the lower Florida Keys when a big T-storm hit. What do you think I did ?
A. Called a taxi.
13.) A large thunderstorm is a few miles East of you. The radar report on the VHF radio says that it is moving East away from your area ..... HOWEVER, it certainly seems to be getting closer.... not farther. What do you think is happening ?
A. I think there's at least two storms happening here, possibly more. And I'd be expecting a waterspout at any minute.
Cheers, Paul
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Paul.....
I suspect we may get some interesting comments on your answers !
Gordy
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From Gary Eaton:
Here is a little quiz on what to do when fly fishing or casting as a storm approaches:
1.) You are giving a workshop at a conclave with 15 attendees. Your venue is a football field . A T-storm is approaching.
What do you do ?
2.) As an experience river guide, you have two sports in your river boat ... Fly fishing has been good this afternoon. Now, a T-storm is looming and getting closer. What do you do ?
3.) Fishing in a river with waders has resulted in a couple of nice bows. Now you are threatened by a T-storm. Heavy woods nearby. Your next move ?
4.) You are in your skiff about 12 miles from home base out on the salt water flats of the Florida Keys. Nearest land is a group of mangrove islands about a mile away. As a storm approaches, you hear thunder and see lightning. This storm is between you and home base and it threatens to expand right over you. Every time you raise up your graphite push pole, it vibrates. What do you do ?
5.) Dolphin fishing is your thing. You've already taken a couple of good fish near a weed line 22 miles off shore East of Miami. You are fishing from a 23' open console boat. A T-storm is approaching you from the West, and another one is making up in the South. What do you do ?
6.) A T-storm approaches as you are fishing a small stream near a bridge for brookies. What is your best move ?
7.) You are on a 30 mile long remote and uninhabited beach at East Cape, Baja trying to catch roosterfish on a fly. There are big sand dunes behind you. Your guide had dropped you off from a dune buggy, so you are alone. A T-storm is making up and appears to be coming right down the beach from the North. Your best move ?
8.) You are in your 17' skiff at the edge of a flat way out in the Marquesas Islands, 30 miles West of Key West. A weather front hits with winds of 50 MPH from the Northwest. What do you do ?
9.) You and your buddy are fishing a flat in the Bahamas in a 16' light skiff. Your mother ship is 10 miles away. No Islands in sight. You have a VHF radio and a hand held GPS. The weather is closing in and there are nasty T-storms in every direction. How do you handle this one ?
10.) The fishing has been slow out on the flat ..... no bonefish. No wind. No thunder or lightning. A black cloud approaches with a waterspout which is kicking up a lot of water. It seems to be coming right at your from the north. Your home base is well South of you. What do you do ?
11.) Same scenario as in 10.) ....... Your outboard motor won't start ! Now what ?
12.) I was fishing a flat just Northeast of the Bahia Honda-Ohio bridge in the lower Florida Keys when a big T-storm hit. What do you think I did ?
13.) A large thunderstorm is a few miles East of you. The radar report on the VHF radio says that it is moving East away from your area ..... HOWEVER, it certainly seems to be getting closer.... not farther. What do you think is happening ?
These are real life scenarios I've actually experienced. No. 12.) happened this morning . No. 4.) happened just day before yesterday. Let's see how you would have handled these.
Gordy