Northwest Fishing Reports

What kind of effect could a thunderstorm or two have on fishing this weekend? It's in the forecast for where i'm heading. Also, in a safety related note, I've heard the safest thing you can do in a thunderstorm is to hold up your 1 iron - cuz not even God can hit a 1 iron. Do you think Travino was being facetious? :dwarf:

Hey Drew, I think that if there is a front accompanying the T-Storm then if it causes the pressure to rise or fall alot, that can have a pretty big impact, I've heard theories that a hard rain can oxygenate the upper water column, but I'm not going to pretend that I know if that's BS or not! As for danger, as long as it's just thunder and you don't have accompanying lightning I wouldn't worry, but at the first hint of lightning get the hell off the water. When you are standing in the boat with a graphite rod in your hand, you are a makeshift lightning rod on the water! I've been fishing before where although there wasn't visible lightning, the air was charged up and when you would make a cast out with 8 lb test line, the line itself would actually raise up into the air from the rod tip to the point the line hit the water...like it was being pulled straight up! ....bizarre and a little scary actually! Good luck and be safe out there! -Dave

Good luck wherever you go, and it was nice briefly meeting you last week.

I was seadoo'n on Lake WA last year during the thunder and lightning storms, it was pretty fun to watch those bolts come down. Riding the ski back to Coulon in the rain was refreshing, but hard on the eyes. I just hoped if lightning did hit me, I wouldn't feel it haha.

Nice meetin' ya too

i would say try to get out right before the storm, sometimes they can turn the fish on in the few hours before they hit. i also remember a time when i went walleye fishing minutes after a downpour and limited out in about 15 minutes, so right after probably wouldn't be a bad idea either. bottom line is the barometric pressure is rising and/or falling so it will change conditions, and at some point before or after the storm it will change them for the better. i know my idea of the worst day ever for fishing is dead calm and hot with no clouds, so i'm personally looking forward to this weekend's little weather system.