Top 5 Fishing Superstitions and the Stories Behind Them

The day man stepped aboard a boat to go fishing, superstitions came to life. We have all heard a superstitious belief at one point or another. Some of us may even be skeptical about a few while others may find superstitions ridiculous. But, have you ever really thought about how they came to be? 

My Top 5 Fishing Superstitions and how they came to being

Anglers have been exposed to a long list of nautical superstitions for centuries. It may seem odd to some but personally, I still believe in a few of them, and I’d like to think my beliefs were for good reasons. I even took the time to check on some of them. So, if only for a bit of fun, let’s break down some of these fishing superstitions most anglers observe.

1. Women on board

Women were historically banned from sailing or boarding boats. There are a few different explanations to the bad luck that this brings. The variations can be traced back to the early days of the merchant navy, when it was thought that having women on board would anger the gods and cause a rough crossing. 

Back when I was a mate on a large charter boat, my skipper’s number one rule was, “No women on board whilst refuelling.” This one makes sense to me as some crew were easily distracted by passing hostesses, resulting in spilled fuel. When you think of the pioneering days of sailing where there was zero equality, the only women onboard the boat would have been married to a crew member or a passenger. This would have caused a lot of jealousy within the crew as a lot of these voyages went for months or even years.

There’s some silver lining though as in the ancient times, naked women are believed to calm the sea. Hence, this is why you’ll find so many carved out figureheads of bare breasted women showing the way back in the day.

2. Bananas on the boat 

Despite its long history of being a “superstition”, I had my own banana experience. Another guide hid a banana behind the toilet on my boat one day. Lo and behold! We actually had, what could easily be, the unluckiest day of fishing I have ever encountered. We ended up landing only one dogtooth tuna out of 45 hook-ups. When I came back in, the guide showed me the banana, and he proceeded to go for a bit of a “swim.”

Getting back to the origin of this unbelievable superstition, I actually found a few stories. 

Here are some of them:

Frightening stowaways

Back when sailing boats were trading throughout the world, it became known that spiders and some other critters would hide in the bunches of bananas, which never ended well for the crews of those boats.

Banana-Spider
Ecuadorian Amazonas – Banana Spider. Photo by A.Davey is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Dangerous cargo

During the 1700’s, trading between Spain and the Caribbean was quite popular. However, bananas are already believed to be so unlucky that more often than not sailors would refuse to sail on a ship transporting bananas. Needless to say, this belief originated at the height of the ancient trading era, when it was thought Spanish merchant vessels carrying bananas would disappear at sea.

Chinese-Banana-Growers
Chinese banana growers loading produce onto the ‘Carroo’ from punts in the Johnstone River, Innisfail, 1902. Photo by Queensland State Archives is marked with CC PDM 1.0.

Bananas don’t catch fish

The old stories would say that it was because the fishermen had a hard time trolling for fish as they had to move quickly to deliver the bananas before they spoil. Modern explanations, on the other hand, attributed it to the sweet smell and stickiness left on your hands then transferred to the bait. Both zinc and sunscreen are said to have the same effect.

RELATED: Top Tips to Improve Your Catch Rate on your Next Fishing Adventure

Spoiled bananas are deadly

There’s a science behind this one. Apparently, during the early trading days, boat captains would refuse to transport bananas as it gives off ethylene gas that ripens other fruits and vegetables too quickly. The rotting fruits then releases methane below deck, effectively killing the unsuspecting sailors venturing into the cargo holds for a cheeky snack.

“…A Shipload of bananas that carried some weird bacteria killed everyone on board…”

The belief has been around for so long that in 2001, Rick Etzel, the captain of The Breakaway, was quoted saying: “Fishermen believe bananas are bad luck. Something about a shipload of bananas that carried some weird bacteria killed everyone on board. Maybe it was fictitious, but some people take the banana thing very seriously. A few years back, a guy on one of my charters showed up wearing a Banana Republic T-shirt. Another guy in the group went up to him with a knife and slashed the logo.”

3. Whistling on board 

I have worked with many skippers who completely lose their mind when they hear someone whistling on a boat. If you’re actually wondering why, well, it is believed that whistling on board a boat challenges the wind itself, bringing storms and bad weather.

It isn’t the only story though. Another tale is that it has been banned on boats ever since the mutiny on HMS Bounty (a.k.a. HM Armed Vessel Bounty). Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate, is believed to have used a whistle as the signal to seize command from the Bounty’s captain, William Bligh, before it was later burned on Pitcairn Island.

Fishing-Superstition-Whistling-on-Boat-Story
Fletcher Christian, master’s mate at HMS Bounty (Mutiny on the Bounty). Photo by summonedbyfells is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

RELATED: Understanding your Barometer. Top 5 tips to catch you more fish

4. Never re-name a boat

Another oldie but goody. Superstition says that the God of the ocean, Poseidon, would keep a log of every vessel’s name. That said, changing the name of your boat meant that you are trying to get one past Poseidon. Hence, the gloomy end of those who dare. 

5. Never kill a seabird

This is one that I like. It is believed that seabirds, mainly the albatross, were superstitious relics housing the souls of old sailors who fell at sea. 

It’s a pretty famous seabird, as the albatross has been a main character in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s well-known poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. There’s even a story within the poem where the narrator killed an albatross and the entire crew forced him to wear the dead bird around his neck.

For anglers, however, killing a seabird means calling forth horrible luck.

Albatross-at-Sea
Wondering Albatross. Photo by Bernard Sprag on Flickr.

The Last Cast

Sailors and anglers are essentially superstitious, but it all depends on what you believe. Realistically though, you are the master of your own luck. with proper preparation and checking the weather forecasts in advance, you shouldn’t have any issues. For me, however, these fishing superstitions will always be at the back of my mind.

What fishing superstitions do you believe in? Share your stories with us in the comments.

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1 COMMENT

  1. I wasn’t aware bananas are no no on a boat but my skipper who didn’t want to offend me cos I am the client ate all the bananas without my knowledge before we set sail. Only when I wanted to have bananas that I realised that. Next trip no more bananas!!

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