I went fishing at American Folk yesterday for 7 hrs and caught 7 white bass…No white bass around like it was during the weekend…anyways, you can see the storm moving in fast, then all of a sudden my hand is gettin shocked by my pole…i looked down and my pole is cracking and making a crackling noise..so i thought it was time for me to get out of the water…after 10 mins. the storm pass and my pole didn’t have those cracks anymore…Any one heard of this or seen it happen?
sounds like static electricity building up in the blank of your rod, ie, you were about to get struck by lightning
yes i have had that happen to me using a graphite fishing rod. From what I know that is from static electricty in the air that makes that crackleing noise and can give you a bad shock. A fishing pole is no different than a golf club or anything else when that is happening put the pole down and take cover. Those thing conduct electricity and can be a lightning rod if things are right and you don’t want to get hit by lightning.
Im not a scientist but this is what I know some others might be more scientific than me and can tell you more. hope this helps. One small pond i fish alot if the wind is blowing and a storm is blowing in it will give you one heck of a shock. I have also been told that part of this is what minerals are in the ground or rock you are on that conducts electricity some places are worse than others. hope some others can help you out and answer this question to good luck fishing
Yes 
[sly] one of the scariest things to happen to me while fishing. I was fishing at Starvation and a storm was coming in also but it looked a little bad but off a bit I could see the dark clouds coming in.
I just wanted to get in as much fishing as I could before the storm and darkness hit. After a few more cast I felt an electric charge go through my graphite pole and it was shaking and quivering in my hand I threw the pole to the front of the boat and hit the bottom of the boat looking for cover thought for sure I was going to be stuck by lightening freaked me TFO.
I waited about 5 or so mins fired up the boat and beached it for the night the storm came in shortly after.
Its funny now but not at the time [sly]
Been there done that, Deer Creek Res. I have heard that it is a signal of impending danger of a lightning strike, and to get off the lake asap! I know thats what I did. I could here the thunder coming from way up on Timp and every time I cast a would fell a little shock and here the little zap. Then I decided I would figure it out so I watched my hand and slowly moved the rod in a casting motion, as the rod approched near vertical I saw the electrical arch from the pole to my index finger. Holy crap! Time to head home.
thanx everyone for the info…holy sh*t!!! good thing i got off the lake…and i was just kidding about dying while doing the things i love..lol…i guess i’ll live to tell another tale..( damn walleys)
Your welcome! I believe that the reason for this site is for us to share are stories, experiences, to learn and laugh.
But some like to fight 
!
Welcome to the site enjoy and good fishing! DC! 
I was hunting west of Mona and was walking under those big power lines that run through there. I had my rifle over the back of my shoulder. I started to feel something wierd, like a vibration. I took my rifle off my shoulder and it stopped. I quickly discovered that it happened when I put the rifle vertical. It was made kind of a buzz sound too. I thought that was pretty cool until I realized that I wasn’t sure the bullets wouldn’t go off. Then I realized how bad it would be if the shells that went off were the ones in the magazine instead of the one in the chamber. I got away from there lickity split. I don’t know if that could ever trigger a round to go off, but I am not willing to experiment to find out.
That is a scary feeling. Once I was casting slip bobber rigs as a storm approached and on my last cast, my slack line floated about 6 inches to a foot above the water…would not fall down to the actual water. Notice I mentioned that was my last cast!
Chad Miller
Freaky! My buddy and I were on the Berry in November during a freak snow storm with lightning, it was a fast moving squall, the bottom of the boat was wet. I had my rubber Sorrel’s on but my buddy had leather boots on that were soaked thru. He had his feet in a puddle on the bottom of my aluminum boat, and all the sudden he jumped like he’d been shot, he had a shock come up thru his feet. I have no idea if the lake had a lighting strike somewhere around us or not, but we got off the lake, and fast. Freaked us both out big time. We thought sure we would get hit by lightning before we made it to shore. It was right by the Renegade Boat Dock, luckily. Wow
I was fishing on Baker Creek in what is now the Great Basin Natl. Park back in the very early 50’s using a Bristol telescoping steel rod and got knocked down. I was standing on a rock in the creek with both feet wet. There was a little summer squall blowing by & I heard a couple pretty loud thunderclaps & then a spark jumped from the pole to my hand and it dropped me right into the creek. When I could get gathered up & out of the creek I hightailed it to a cabin that the Forest Service had & holed up until the squall was clear gone. Took me about an hour to finally find my fishing pole & I lost all my fish 'cause I was just carrying them on a willow stringer.
Another time in the early 80’s My daughters & I were fishing Mill Meadow Res. & the girls hair started sticking straight out. We dropped our poles & got back in the bottom of a little draw & just hunkered down. A few minutes later lightening hit the hillside about 100 yd. above us. The girls hair settled down immediately but we got outta there anyway.