Storm At The Lake

[S&M]

I was on the lake at Mill Creek when I looked up to see some serious rotation. It tried to drop a funnel, I could see if forming, and I'm surprised it didn't. Once I saw how fast the rotation was moving, I fired up the big engine and high tailed it back to Ahoys to get the boat on the trailer.

As soon as I had the boat tied up to the dock, the storm hit. A bunch of teenagers, maybe 30 of them, standing on the docks started screaming and running. Lots of debries flying in the air. I'm really surprised the metal roofs on Ahoys floating docks didn't come off. Those where some powerful winds.

Next time I see any rotation I'm heading in. I waited way to long to seek shelter, very stupid and foolish of me.

[WAVINGSWAN]

Hey guys, glad that everyone is safe. Being in that situation is no joke, because we can always fish another day. Hopefully the weather is better this weekend. I am coming down with a friend, to Kimberling City for a tournament. Be safe guys and good fishing.

[MOBass]

I got up Saturday at 4AM and checked the radar and forecast. Really wanted to go so I gave it an hour and checked again. The yellow and red splotches moving in was all I needed to turn off the alarm clock and go back to sleep. Looks like I made the right call as I was going to have my daughter with me.

Very glad to hear that there were no injuries or worse. I didn't realize until reading these reports how bad it actually was.

[CMAC]

What is unusual was the radar to me didn't look that serious, especially on my smart phone. Not near as bad as the storm last year or year before I can't remember that hit the Cape Fair boat. I tied my Ranger up on the four corners and got the heck of the dock. Luckily one of the contractors was there and let me join him in his car to ride it out. Never seen anything like it before when rollers are crashing over the walk-ways, thats some serious wave action, not mention rod iron tables and chairs flying off in the water and all that scaffolding. Dangerous!

[zzjonze]

Like others I too was out in that mess Saturday.

We had made it up to the back of Jannings when I saw it coming. I told my partner we better get back closer to the weigh in in Aunts Creek since we had a limit..We took off in my lil Skeeter and only got to the mouth of the James when it hit and we were with no place to hide. We struggled with side winds lifting the front till we made the buoys at Aunts Creek.With the wind at our backs we sailed down Aunts.LOL!

We finally made a little pocket with a dock (one half empty stall) we got under so we could do some Culling.

Once it lightened up a little we loaded the boat with and hour to go.

I was glad to be on solid ground.

Will be a nice story for the later.

ZZ

[Gilly]

As I get older I get more cautious. Too many times I've looked at radar, made the call that it won't get bad and regretted that decision. A few years back we were on Leech Lake and headed out for an evening's worth of casual fishing with the wife and kids in my boat and another family in the other boat. No storm warnings, overcast yes, but nothing critical. We had been out for an hour when I thought I heard sirens. Motored out of the cove and looked up the lake and saw a water spout. The clouds rolling our way were ominous. Called my buddy on the radio and told him we were headed back into the cove. It was 5 miles back to the cabins and as fast approaching as the storm was no way was I going to make that run. Just about that time my buddy comes zooming out of the cove on a flat out run for the docks. He wasn't that experienced of a boatsman so I asked him what in the he!! was he doing. No response. He made it half way across and radioed a distress. Everyone in my boat already had their pfd's on and they concurred we had to respond. Rough, scary ride. Everyone in my buddies boat panicked, they got their side of the boat into the rollers and were taking on water by the time we got there. We talked them out of the situation and had them follow us. By the time we got back to the docks the darn storm doubled back and hit again. We made it to the cabins but the wind actually knocked several of them into a racked position.

I don't ever want to do that again so this time of the year especially, if storms are even slightly in the forecast I don't go out on the water.

Yeah, I know, "Cluck, cluck, Chicken Little."

[dtrs5kprs]

Was fishing the buoy point about midway back in Schooner when that one blew up. Waited out the earlier am stuff, watching out the cabin window as my trailered Ranger filled with rain and was emptied by the auto pump over and over. Like a moron, decided it was good to go out, fished through several of the downpours (better understanding of "tornadic rain" now) and hit some nice ones on grubs.

When it lightened up I ventured out of the no wake and started working down the buoy point. At first crack of thunder I quit concentrating on the grub and looked towards the mouth/bridge and saw the dark stuff coming. Bailed for the resort dock, loaded up and headed up the hill. Didn't think the hail was as bad as the day before. Watched who I think was Bill Beck come blowing up the road from the Schooner resort ramp shortly after I did. Right after I did hear what I can only describe as sort of an organic grinding sound which must have been the bad cloud.

Dumb thing is this scenario was almost identical to when I was tornadoed off the Rock the first time, Easter weekend, 1998 or 99. Basically same pattern and timing of weather, temps, etc, except the Schooner Ck resort dock didn't blow loose in this one. This was the third, and every time I swear there won't be another one. Trickier weather on this lake than any other I have fished. Storms are much less straightforward, and their speed is hard to judge. Have some impressive video of the storm path shot from around Gobblers Mtn...can see the line it took by following the downed trees.