'Bad Banana' Fish Report - And Other Excuses

fish catch for whole day on water:
3 smallish pintos
1 teenie triggerfish

Trip note: Passenger was found to have stashed a taboo banana in his lunch. Thrown overboard. Banana was consumed. Neptune's forgiveness beseeched for sins of banana smuggler via Tecate offerings.

NOTE: Any further persons bringing bananas aboard will become chum.

[Edited on 3-13-2008 by Pompano]

I swear to god this is a true story: last year I take my kid and his college buddy fishing out of San Francisco Bay on a salmon fishing party boat - 5 hours into a complete boat skunk the captain walks around the boat to see what's up eating a frickin' banana. Guys were pulling out their fillet knives, grabbing ropes and screaming about refunds. Cap'n throws the banana peal overboard and says we don't know how to fish and it's just an old wives tale anyway. Jesus Alou - I won't argue about his first observation but I'll sure never fish with him again.

bananas mean nothing on a boat.

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano ...Have you noticed that Fruit of the Loom underwear no longer has them?

Our yellow panga is named "Chiquita Bonita" and she does pretty good finding fish.

Now regarding you Fruit of the Loom guys...maybe the marketing department felt it unnecessary to include a banana on the label since you provide your own? Two is too many, the other fruit characters would be jealous.

P<*)))><

15 mixed cabril and pinto no bannna

You're right Paulina. The keyboard is on the desk, not my lap.

Don is withholding part of the info here.

Specifically, it was two shiny red apples. Not just any old apples.

Hope this ancient secret ju-ju makes someone's day

Oh, great, next you'll give away the location of my Secret Spots.

Some more maritime superstitions:

GOOD LUCK - the reversed curse

Don't play around with Posiedon.

Since I was a young kid on my first fishing boat, I was always amazed at the sheer number of superstitions and myths surrounding this industry and sport. It's a dangerous way to make a buck, and even with all the modern technology available to today's commercial fishermen...and to the sporting angler...almost all I know still pay very strict attention to some timeless beliefs that are as old as seafaring itself. Confronting rough weather which results in higher mortality rates than any other profession, most multi-generation fishermen will use any tool/technique/superstition at hand to ensure luck=fish=success. Once out there, you need a full warbag.

Besides, it's all fun! Life is way too serious to be taken seriously.

Good list, Igor! Lots of nationalities represented there.

For myself, I don't wish anyone good luck before a fishing or hunting trip...sometimes we will say 'Bad Rice', something we picked up from Japanese fishermen. Rubbing a red-headed kid's noggin will bring me good luck. Eating a banana cream pie before a fishing day is a no-no (and I know someone who makes a killer pie!). Dolphins have always shown me the way. Whales are known pots of gold...even dead floaters. Albatross are too be avoided at all costs...lest they become the anchor around your neck.

Here's one of the most common beliefs:

A Woman on Board is Bad Luck.

Most any old salt will tell you that having a woman aboard is bad luck. Most likely stemming from old maritime sailing days of the English Navy..where discipline reigned supreme. It was traditionally believed that women were not as physically or emotionally capable as men. Therefore, they had no place at sea. It was also observed that when women were aboard, men were prone to distraction or other vices that may take away from their duties. This, among other things, would anger the seas and doom the ship.

Interestingly enough, there is a way to counter this effect. While having a woman on board would anger the sea, having a “naked” woman on board would calm the sea. Imagine that. This is why many vessels have a figure of a woman on the bow of the ship, this figure almost always being bare-breasted. It was believed that a woman’s bare breasts would “shame” the stormy seas into calm. Ah, the ancient power of female nudity. Hey..that works for me! Next boat will have a regular Dolly Parton up front.

cuz me git bit by a spideo.

I heard that's where the banana bad luck thing started. Spiders on board with the bananas, or maybe they weren't fishing.

'Come mistah tolly-mon, tolly me ba-non-a.

...Daylight she come and me wan go home.'

Somehow I doubt old Belafonte ever toted a load of bananas on his back, but the song brings to mind the banana republics and boat scenes.

There were certain dangers involved with these banana boats. During the heyday of the Spanish South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, it was noted that nearly every ship that disappeared and did not reach it's destination was carrying a cargo of bananas....and thus started the banana legend.

How come? Some theories:

- As mentioned the ships were fast..maybe too fast for safety in some waters...plus too fast to fish while underway.

- Given the lack of inspections back then, we can suppose that lots of critters came aboard with the fruit. Imagine the thrill of waking up with a bunch of tarantulas..or some truly deadly spiders..scampering around your hammock in the fo'csle. Crewmen dying of a lethal spider bite, plus the cargo being thrown overboard, would certainly be cause enough to have started the banana curse.

- Another theory is that bananas carried aboard slave ships fermented and gave off methane gas, which would be trapped below deck. Anyone in the hold, including cargoes of imprisoned humanity, would succumb to the poisoned air, and anyone trying to climb down into the hold to help them would fall prey to the dangerous gas.

'Day-O...Day-O, fear the banana and love duh apple.'

Everyone knows that you have to paint your toe nails, and dipy your feet in the water in order to catch fish!

Does this thread refer to "is that a banana in your boat or are you just happy your "rod" has "hooked up"?

Jinx

A famous 'Jinx'

Igor, indeed, unlike the early superstitious colonists, the enlightened today will know those New England witch trials were 'jinxed' by the supposed 'hex' cast on them by the accused and soon-to-die unfortunates. I liken those events to our modern-day political witch hunts being conducted as we type...ha!..now there's a real bunch of 'Jonahs'!

Here's a notable example of a jinx that seemed to curse 3 huge ships:

A certain Violet Jessup was employed by the famous White Star Lines in the early 1900's. First a stewardress aboard RMS Olympic, sistership of the Titanic, she barely survived the flooding of this new vessel when it ran into another ship.

Next she crewed on the Titanic itself. She survived by having had a baby thrust upon her and being shoved into one of the first lifeboats.

Next, Violet was aboard the Brittanic, the third and final vessel of the Olympic class. The ship was torpedoed and sank. Violet again escaped death...even after her lifeboat was sucked into the ship's giant propellors.

She outlived all three vessels and died in 1971 at age 83...called a jinx throughout her life.

Now that must have REALLY sucked.

Now...I know Mexican pangueros are as superstitious as the rest of us. Remember the story of the Golden Grouper?