At a young age we are all taught about the dangers of lightning and water, especially those who go fishing, as the carbon our rods are made from is particularly conductive. Thankfully the chances of being struck by lightning are incredibly low, but it does happen and around lakes all over the country anglers, including myself, do take for granted just how serious fishing and lightning can be.
The stark realisation of just how close you can be to disaster if you go fishing when one of these weather events rolls through hit home this week for an angler fishing at the Zoo fishery in France.
Unbelievably, this was the only bolt of lightning that day, with no prior warning what was about to transpire, highlighting just how wary we need to be at times when fishing, especially in warm, humid conditions.
Steve can’t remember much from the incident, as he fell unconscious shortly after a bolt of lightning struck him in the swim he was fishing. Speaking on his behalf, the fishery shared what they believe happened.
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“On Friday evening, the anglers who were fishing the lake had just left the clubhouse after we held our steak night. Everyone was in good spirits as they returned to their swims, but what happened next was unbelievably frightening,” the fishery said.
“The weather that day was particularly humid and warm, to our recollection around 35 degrees, but there were no signs of any thunder or lightning,” they added.
As Steve returned to his swim, he began prepping his rods for the night ahead, holding the length of carbon in his hand as he waited for the line to sink after casting out. That’s about all he remembers because, without warning, a rogue bolt of lightning struck the tree just two metres from where he was standing.
“The bang was almighty, and the base of the tree in Steve’s swim was blown to pieces, sending huge chunks of wood and bark flying in all directions,” they recalled.
“We all raced over to see what had happened and found Steve in quite a state. He had large cuts on his body and looked badly injured.”
“The swim was a mess, the tree had punctured a dinghy, obliterated his bivvy, damaging just about everything in range. It served as a stark reminder of just how powerful nature can be.”
Steve’s memory is very hazy around the time of the incident, but he recalls feeling the intense heat from the lightning bolt on his body, suggesting that he was struck alongside the tree, likely with his rod acting as a conductor. The injuries on his body, including severe burns and bruising along his shoulder, support this, which make it clear just how lucky he is to be alive.
“After Steve was rushed to hospital, we tried to piece together what had happened. After speaking with him, we believe the bolt struck him directly, causing him to fall unconscious. He then collapsed onto his banksticks, which likely led to the broken ribs he suffered,” they explained.
“Thankfully, he’s expected to make a full recovery, which considering what happened, is truly a miracle. He’s incredibly fortunate to have escaped with the injuries he has, as serious as they are.”
“It was the only bolt of lightning that evening. It wasn’t like he was out in a storm, it came completely out of the blue,” they added.
"I think this serves as a major warning to us all, we go out fishing during the summer and always think it won’t happen to us, but it can. Hopefully this incident will raise some awareness amongst anglers to prevent it happening again," The fishery concluded.
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