Whether to Weather the Weather or NOT!
by Pro Guide Mark McManaway

Hello fellow fisherman. I'd like to share a story with you if I may. First I would like to say that I am known by my contemporaries as Mr. Overcautious. [Among other things!]

It was last summer and a buddy and I decided to go on a night fishing trip. The forecast was partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain. We had just arrived at a tank dam about 4 miles from the ramp and started fishing when I thought I saw a flash over a midlake island. Now you have to understand the sky was solid white. What you need to know is just because the sky is solid white at night doesn't mean you can see the deep black storm coming your way.

About the time we had convinced ourselves we had seen nothing you guessed it...FLASH! CRACK!.... There were probably 4 or 5 boats we could see in the distance trying to outrun the storm. I realized as I was rounding the last point to the 3 mile main lake run we weren't going to be able to outrun the storm and lightning was now really close!

It was then that I made the decision that the only chance we had was to go to the bank. Crossing an open lake when lightning is flashing all around you should NEVER be contemplated. My buddy agreed wholeheartedly as we both are seasoned fisherman and have heard of the fisherman who have tried to outrun the storms at Fork and other lakes and unfortunately didn't make it. [This really bothers me]

We beached the boat and put on our ponchos. We stayed away from the trees and made refuge in the tall grass. We both looked across the cove and laid there in our ponchos petrified as lightning and thunder pelted the surroundings. We would look at each other from time to time and we were communicating even though we never said a word. We both were thinking the same things. Would we make it? Do we spend enough time with our families? Did we contribute enough in this life to make it in the next? and so on....I swear we didn't move for a half hour.

It finally cleared enough for me to call the sheriffs dept. and they couldn't believe at first that we had actually been out there all that time and told us to go as fast as we could because there was another round coming. Well, you guessed it. We took out of there like scalded dogs and made it to the ramp about ll pm and I'm telling you we didn't realize how much adrenaline we secreted until we hit the ramp. Our legs were so weak we could hardly walk.

I'm convinced I made the right decision and so is my buddy as I am here to share this with you today. I look back on the times when I got off the lake a half hour early because a storm was coming and all the times I saw people haplessly backing into the water and I just stood there thinking what are they doing? Are they crazy? There is a storm coming! From now on I will speak up and even if they don't want to hear it I will do my best to keep them from putting in at that moment. I hope you will promise to do the me.

One final thought. Keep a cell phone handy because not everyone uses a C.B.! I hope this at least makes you think a little and remember "It's better to turn and run away and live to fish another day"

Good luck and Good Fishin'

Local Anglers Guide Service is a popular guide service for men, women, and kids. Veterans, physically impaired and deaf are also welcome.
Mark has written articles and stories for numerous other sites as well.

Mark McManaway
Local Anglers Guide Service
Local Anglers