I use several apps on my phone like Radar Cast, Lightning Cast and Weather Alerts. I was really into the fish today under a partly cloudy sky. My alerts started going off. I have it set so I get a 45 min warning. Just enough time to get off the lake and safe at home. Today it was a close one. I ran into 4 boats at the dock going out and told them about the storm. They went out anyway. I even told a guy putting gas in his pontoon with 7 people on board. "Part of the fun is knowing when to quit." There is a big storm coming with heavy winds and lighting. He went back out. Oh well. I ran ahead of the storm and I made it home high and dry.

Good choice getting off the lake. I learned years ago when I was training for my Pilots liscense that "gotta get there idus" is bad business, and staying on a lake with incoming storms is too. Nice fish BTW!

I am a big wus when it comes to storms on lakes, got caught in one on Texoma years ago cuz I thought I could outrun it. My boat takes fairly rough water well, but not what we got caught in. Swells were so big that if I slipped down between them I couldn't see over them while standing in the boat. Was impossible to stay up on top. Took a couple over the bow so big that half the boat disappeared for a few seconds. Really did not think we were going to make it. Pitch black at 3pm with no GPS. Luckily I knew my way to a protected cove to wait it out but learned my lesson. Beached boat was actually half full of water after the storm, many docked boats were sunk with just the mooring ropes keeping them from going to the bottom.

I have a Garmin Gpsmap with xm weather and it has saved my azz many times over the years and has allowed me to actually salvage a few trips I would have cancelled.

Noticed in your pictures your boat has a fold down T top.I was wondering how the like it the pros and cons. I have a RV cover for my boat and have to have a fold down top.was wondering where you got yours. sorry I changed your topic the weather is very important this time of year. Keep site site

Fishmaster
I love my T-top and its so easy to fold down and park in my cover.You can visit the site and look at photos and usally find your style boat that others have installed it on. Mine has a t-bag and a electronics box they sell know as well. The storm was wicked coming in.

This is great post. I do not have the apps on my phone and the phone usually dies anyway while on the lake. My rule is see lightning or hear thunder and it's over. This works well with my Tracker boat, as it's fast enough to get me off the water. Was caught on PK in my Sea Eagle once and it was very scary. Nothing to do but power over the ocean like waves, hunker down and pray fervently to God that I'm not struck by lightning.

As for the people who didn't listen to you and were caught in the storm on that lake, I'm sure they got a valuable lesson if they survived. Might even have been a spiritually enlightening experience because few things will focus the mind to eternity like the prospect of certain death.

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, �Let us cross over to the other side.� 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, �Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?�

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, �Peace, be still!� And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, �Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?�[d] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, �Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!�[u][/u]

I was thinking about hitting Phantom yesterday but alas... my boat was stuck in the swamp that is my backyard. How many did you catch before you left and were they shallow or deeper? This year has been crazy! I did manage to rescue my boat from the swamp today and was seriously contemplating going but I had so much work to do outside.

No fish today. Got skunked.