Q: Recognizing bad weather and reacting
 

After spending several days fishing Big Lake last week, a few of my fishing weaknesses became evident to me, particularly in the question of weather.
How do you recognize a storm (vs just some rain) and its path, size, and distance?
Some of these are obvious and some take a closer understanding, but if my fancy electronics were to go out, I'd like to know when to haul arse and in what direction.
Thanks.

Using your smart phone would be the best tool to use on the water I'd say. you can actually see where it's located and which direction it's traveling.

I take it you were on BL last Tuesday as well when the storm blew through ?

I hope I never get caught in another like that.

I was right at the north mouth of West Cove when it hit. I didn't get shelter till I pulled in at north Joes Cove cut through and docked at a camp.

A good idea and something that I will teach my children is to study clouds and know which clouds have the potential to become thunder storms. I'm no where near perfect on this but I feel extremely confident in picking out "thunder heads" (what they were called when I was in school) and keeping an eye on them throughout the day. If you take the time to understand what it looks like and how it is reacting to the heat(what will help it build up into a thunder storm) you can come really close to dodging most storms. I have been caught before with the ones that build up out of no where but more often then not I can keep clear of the big storms.

don't be skered............. fish until the last second!!

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...&1439847765095

just kidding, I got caught up in this mess.......... yeah the blue dot is me

Was this the Tuesday I was speaking of ?

If I had your sled I'd fish more relaxed with weather ... 17' with 90 hp here ! :(

Wasn't fun ... Especially the lightening part lol

I don't chance it. If there weather coming my way I'm gonna at least find a dock to hide on.

Ask Cripley about waiting till the last minute with the weather!!


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If its a relatively clear day you can watch the cloud tops. the higher the clouds the more likely to be a storm underneath. Good news is you can practice this anytime you are outside, look around and check you weather app on your phone and learn to recognize storms.

Once you do this you will start to understand what is coming your way. if it is overcast and cant see the cloud tops then periodically check the weather to see if a storm is firing up.

Also be aware of the forecast before you go. in the fall, know when a front is heading your way. You will get it wrong on occasions, just be safe and make sure your rig is in tip top shape.

Yo Crip, share your story!

This is what happens when you try and push it with the weather. Now I don't push it if I'm in path I roll.

Look at low lying clouds and see which way they are moving

I watch the cows.












Sorry...couldn't resist!

Winner winner Chicken Dinner

when your rod tips start to buzz, gtfo!

Some very basic tips have been given here, and they all ring true. I won't rehash those, but will add a few. Have a NOAA weather radio handy. It will notify you of watches and warnings as soon as they are issued for your area. If you hear thunder, head in. Cloud identification is a great tool in Louisiana, since there are times where we see storms pop up in minutes, and by the time you hear thunder, it may be too late. I personally use an app called radarscope. It costs $9.99, and is worth every penny. It pinpoints your location, and has a very accurate depiction of where the rain/storms are. I find many of the free apps don't have the resloution to do that. For me, the key is not taking chances. If it looks dangerous, head in. All that said, I graduated with a bachelors in atmospheric science, and made my living as a meteorologist for eight years, and I've had times where I've gotten into bad spots. That's why I no longer take chances, regardless of how good the bite is. With how low and flat the landscape is in south Louisiana, being the dude cruising around in the tallest object around, that just happens to be filled with bits of metal, is a very easy way to get your Darwin Award. Be safe!

Thanks guys. I rely on these forums a lot to fill in the (many) gaps in my knowledge.
Excellent info. Many thanks.

I call 337 477-5285 (national weather service in LC) and have my own personal weather man tell me what storm is doing! Its been a life saver over the years.

I second Radarscope, been using that for a few years now. Very confident with it.

I was always taught that when you see a thunderhead coming (clouds stacking up on top of each other vertically) to get the hell outta there and take no chances because those are the worst storms there are.

the low flat clouds "generally" are not as intense but any rainstorm can get bad

also a sudden drop in air temperature is a sign you are in imminent dangerous weather changes

Now days it's easy...weather apps and all the good advice that has been given on this thread. In the "old days"...we had to rely on wind speed and change of direction, observation of cloud formations, and believe it or not, smell. You could smell a thunderstorm coming at you. One day in Lacassine Refuge (1978, my senior year in high school) everything was coming into place...wind was changing direction, temp. dropping, and there was an iron smell in the air...but it didn't matter because we were 18, 10 feet tall, full of 8 oz. Bud's and bullet proof. About the time the tip on my new "Lew's Speed Stick" started buzzing I told my buddy, "It's time to go!" He said ....man they are biting like crazy...then lightening hit too close to us...he still wanted to fish...lightening hit again...I physically removed him from the back of the boat, started the motor, ran to the levy at the south rollers, (Bell City Ditch) only to have lightening strike the levy. After a couple of minutes we pulled over the rollers, hauled arse and made it to Humble landing. My buddy and I did not fish together again for almost 15 years, but by then he had a healthy respect for the weather. Today, I constantly check the weather conditions on several different apps while hunting or fishing. At 55 years old...I know I can always come back another day...that duck or fish is not worth dying over. Thank God for technology and the weather apps we have at our disposal today.