Yes, I'm sure people have been hit by lightning while fishing. Rods crackling is a sign that where you are standing is very likely to be hit by lightning.

Your new forum name can be LightningRod. :-) I would consider that pretty risky-you were feeling the buildup of static which will precede a lightning strike. Doing anything in the open when there are thunderstorms about is risky, people die. You don't even need to see lightning first--we had an incident last year where there was a strike right near a bloke when stormtracker was showing nothing--turns out it was just the first strike of a developing storm.

Plenty of people have been electrocuted fishing, graphite rods are massive lightning conductors..

Definitely avoid it with this weather we've been having

Came across this picture on facebook of a graphite rod that was struck.. wouldn't of wanted to be on the end of that


 

was at Yanchep last stormy season, light show was performing well and I had a massive buzz (tingle sensation) through all my arms and legs and threw my rod and reel in the sand. Was wearing rubber reef shoes not sure if this helped? definitely felt like an electric shock... didn't see lightning though? mates all see me do a quick dance and had a laugh...only take the glass rods now when stormy.

 Have a read of this. The static/shocks etc is basically because the air around you/under the storm is full of static electricity. It is is known as St Elmo's Fire:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo%27s_fire

That's what it was Sammy we only had the one cast and got out of there. Only using a little 6ft rod half dozen ppl there with big 12ft plus.

yea we were out in the boat yesterday and the rods and ariel were crackling pretty bloody hairy

 Yes, experienced it for the first time this year myself. 

 Casting from the stones after a storm had passed and gone out to sea by a good couple of hours and still was getting zapped every time I cast.

Yep soon packed up and went home 

 That's strange aye, in over 20 years at sea I never saw that happen. We are talking 100 foot trawlers with steel an iron everywhere....gad yas didn't get hit thoughyer. Guy got killed yesterday just out walking his dog in middle of the big storm.

I did a lot of years skippering aluminium crayboats, including riding out some hairy thunderstorms, no issues. I think the issue is the effectiveness of earthing of the metal hulls, you are just likely to conduct without issues. Fibreglass boats, on the other hand--you blokes in your plakky boats who think you are safer, thing again--we were all tied up on the jetty once, getting ready for the season, and a glass boat suffered a direct strike via the radio aerial. Flattened the lot of us, and cooked his electronics, which in those days consisted of a big B/W Furuno and a HF radio. :-)Path to earth on a glass boat is via the radio and out through the earth plate set in the keel, all that energy gets concentrated in the one place. I have heard of glass boats having their keels blown out around the earth plate, by this.

Will certainly act as conductors. The electrical chage has to dessipate somewhere, and in a large ocean it will strike at boats, especially porcupined graphies in the Rocket launchers.

I can very well remember fishing in a nasty storm off dampier (some shots on here and if I recal Bodie posted some pictures off the same storm) and the air felt charged. Had about 10 rods up in the rockets, all graphite and very quickly removed all and stowed them in the cab. Managed to dash to Enderby to escape the blow but wouldnt be holding on to a graphite rod, or any rod in a storm. Glass rods arent conductors though.

Found the link: http://fishwrecked.com/forum/caught-storm