It’s smart for any angler to check the radar, especially those in kayaks and small boats. Fishermen in these vessels can’t quickly escape bad weather, as seen in this intense 18-second Facebook video.
During my 55-years of fishing experience, I’ve been caught in a handful of hail storms, but none featuring the baseball-size stones in this clip. And I haven’t been surprised by a storm on the water since I’ve been able to receive weather info/radar on a smartphone.
Have I had to quickly fire up my outboard motor and race for shore? Yes. But I knew a storm was close, I hoped it might slide around the lake and miss me, but when it didn’t, I bailed before conditions got dangerous.
I don’t know any of the background story to this video, but storms dropping baseball-size hail stones can’t avoid radar detection. The only explanation for being caught in a storm like this one is the angler’s smartphone died, or the cell service was so bad that they couldn’t access their weather app.
This angler could be on a river; it sure looks long and narrow, but it could be a narrow lake or reservoir, too. There’s a trolling motor on the kayak, but the angler is using some type of fin drive system, too, so maybe the trolling motor battery died? Or maybe his leg effort is adding to the trolling motor speed? Whatever the case, instead of heading for shore and the protection of tree trunks and branches — which would be my plan — it appears the angler is attempting to get back to the access.
It’s incredibly dangerous to be out in the open with baseball-size hail stones plummeting to the ground. Getting hit the head with one of these stones could certainly result in a serious injury, or death. And none of your fishing gear is safe from these massive ice chunks, either. A graphite rod wouldn’t stand a chance in a storm such as this one.
Be careful out there!
P.S. Be sure to turn up the volume for best viewing.
