The Truth & the Facts

I have been fishing for many years and in many places, I have seen many things and heard many things, but one of the most frequent things I get asked about is the superstition about bananas! The truth is... they are BAD LUCK! Stay away from them if you plan to go fishing.

I have seen too many things happen when bananas are involved. I have seen brand new boat motors simply stop. I have seen people get injured... gear breakdown... unexplained occurrences become commonplace. Dozens of boats can be catching fish and the one with the bananas can't get a sniff! Wide open bites can suddenly turn icy cold. Vans carrying fisherman have stopped in their paths.

This superstition is well-held around the world. I have seen anglers break out in fights when they find out that one of their amigos is carrying bananas. I have seen mischievous tournament competitors sneek out at night and hang bunches of bananas on the anchor chain of their competition. I have seen pranksters hide bananas in the tackle boxes of their "friends".

Conversely, I have seen the ocean suddenly come alive when bananas are thrown overboard. I have seen all manners of bad luck turn 180 degrees when the bananas get trashed! Some anglers (like me) are so convinced about bananas that I'd really rather you not only leave the bananas back at the docks, but also keep the Banana Boat sunscreen, your banana flavored lip balm, your banana chips and banana candy off of my boat! If you can afford to change your underwear, I'd really even prefer you not wear your Fruit-Of-the-Looms on my boat either! I mean it... I don't understand it, but I make my living trying to get YOU and your amigos onto fish and I´d prefer you not make my day any harder! Don't laugh... this stuff is for real!

I don´t know the origins of the legend, but it seems that wherever I have traveled there seems to be a general knowledge about the banana...

Slave Ships... "Day Oh... Day Oh..." One theory that seems to carry alot of water is that the original slaves were brought from Africa to the New World in the dark ugly holds of banana boats. If you perchance one morning woke up in that dark foul place surrounded by other scared folks and it smelled alot like bananas... well chances are your life was gonna be a world of bad luck from then on... it was gonna be a bad, bad day.....

The South Pacific... "I believe I'll have the papaya this morning with my cereal..." To ancient people of the Pacific Isles, only the royalty were allowed to posses the delicious fruit that we call the banana. It was only grown on royal property, a 'commoner' found in possession of bananas was punished by death.

When England Ruled the Seas... "Yo-ho-ho-Matey! Prepare to repel boarders!"... In the days of tall ships and sails, fresh fruit was essential on lengthy voyages to fight off the maladies of scurvy and other lack of vitamins, especially with no refrigeration. Fresh produce was critical to the success of any voyage. Bananas tend to blacken and ripen quickly. While doing this they emit a gas that can rapidly rot any other produce nearby. Sailors would then be stuck with stale bread and boiled salted meat for a long, long time... bleech... pass the Tabasco!

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