8 Weird Fishing Superstitions That Just Won’t Die!
By: Joseph Simonds on November 2, 2015
Let’s face it… anyone that considers themselves a fisherman, fisherwoman, angler, boater, captain, deck hand, etc. can tend to be a bit superstitious…
Some of the fishing superstitions have been passed down from other anglers, grandfathers, and wild fishing stories from the tavern late at night, while others have been formed after a horrific experience out on the water… and heaven forbid that we take full blame for the misfortune… otherwise, it would be a lame fishing story.
And because of all the funny fishing superstitions that we have heard over the years, we took the liberty to create this list of the Top 8 most popular (and weirdest) fishing and boating superstitions.
You will notice that a few of them actually have some merit and/or exceptions…
But regardless of any truth to the superstition or not, one thing is for sure… these fishing superstitions just won’t seem to die or go away for good.
Got to love anglers.
Enjoy!
Fishing Superstition #1
“Redheads Are Bad Luck”
We believe this weird fishing/boating superstition started long ago back with the Vikings (they had a lot of redheads)…
However, this superstition really took off after the success of the TV Show “Gilligan’s Island“. If you can believe it, there are still many people today blame the entire Gilligan’s Island boat wreck on Ginger flirting with the captain…
Although we believe the “redhead on the boat” superstition to have little to no merit, there is one exception to this rule…
The One Redhead You Don’t Want On Your Boat…Carrot Top!
Image Source: celebritypost.net
Fishing Superstition #2
“The Lucky Fishing Hat”
Like many anglers, I rarely hit the water without a hat on. It protects your head against the sun, it helps with the glare, and it protects your forehead from getting burned.
But it also brings good luck. Or at least that is what we anglers believe. So much so that we drive our spouses, girlfriends, and boyfriends (some of you girls out there have some nasty old fishing hats too!) crazy with our stinky old baseball hats that we refuse to throw away, as they must be good luck…
Here are a few examples of “Lucky, Old, Sweaty, Fishing Hats”.
Do any of these look familiar???
I’m not sure my wife would me back in the house with a couple of these!
Fishing Superstition #3
“Bananas Are Bad Luck Fishing”
There exists a very detailed and somewhat humorous report on this “No Bananas on Board” Superstition that was called the “Top 5 Myths about No Bananas On Board Your Boat”.
If you never had the chance to read it, make sure to check it out here after you finish this article. It has some amazing facts regarding how and why bananas became known as bad luck on fishing boats.
To summarize the “No Bananas on Board” article, there are 5 main fishing superstition stories that have led to the banana being one of the most feared things on a boat for any fishing guide/captain.
One of them personally affected my own boat down near Marco Island one weekend (full story on the Top 5 Myths about Bananas blog)…
There is also the MUST READ (and MUST SEE) “Are Bananas Really Bad Luck On Boats? [PICS & TRUE STORIES] (see that post here)
So for this superstition, we actually think it holds water, with one exception…
The Salt Strong “No Bananas on Board” performance shirts.
By proclaiming “No Bananas on Board”, the fish have been proven to magnetically attract to our boat.
It’s science.
At the end of the day, you have to make a choice while out on the boat:
- Do you want to eat bananas…
- Or do you want to catch fish…
Because you can’t have both (like this banana fish)
Image Source: archive.theletter.co.uk
Fishing Superstition #4
“Never Rename Your Boat”
Image Souce: thehulltruth.com
You might be wondering, why would anyone ever rename a boat?
It’s kind of like renaming your dog or your kid right?
Well here are a few reasons you might rename your boat (and take the risk of having bad luck):
- You named your boat after your wife that just left you
- You named your boat after comedian Carrot Top
- You named your boat after news anchor Brian Williams before he was caught lying
- You named your boat this below!
Image Source: www.thehulltruth.com
Fishing Superstition #5
“Never Whistle While Fishing”
Women don’t like to be whistled at (especially when you don’t know them).
Well, the same goes for fish.
In fact, it turns them off and runs them away just like it does when a construction worker whistles at a woman on the street… so stop whistling at girls and fish!
So this fishing superstition is confirmed true.
Fishing Superstition #6
That you must “christen” your boat with wine or champagne or the boat will have bad luck…
Tell that to the owner of this Brand NEW $10 million dollar yacht…
This fishing superstition is DEBUNKED!
Fishing Superstition #7
That it is bad luck to go sailing on these days:
- Thursdays
- Fridays
- The first Monday in April
- The second Monday in August
Why are these days considered bad luck for sailing?
Thursdays are bad sailing days because it is the “Day of Thor”, the god of thunder and storms out on sea.
Fridays have always been considered unlucky as Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday.
The first Monday in April was the day Cain slew Abel
The second Monday in August is the day the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
So clearly these superstitions go back ages!
But here are 3 reasons that this whole “Bad Luck Fishing and Boating on Certain Days” superstition is all Whack:
The “Beginning of the END” according to the Mayans
Fishing Superstition #8
“That Women Are Bad Luck On Boats…”
This weird fishing superstition is SO TRUE!
In fact, these unlucky guys below should abandon ship as quickly as they can. I feel incredibly sorry that they were put in harm’s way like this, and I don’t wish this kind of bad luck on my worst enemy… NOT.
Side Note: is that dude on the left tennis phenom Rafael Nadal?
Just kidding, if you are lucky enough to have a girl(s) on your boat, take your chances with ANY and ALL bad luck…
Hope you enjoyed the Top 8 Craziest Fishing and Boating Superstitions!
P.S. – If you think your angler or boating friends would like to see this, please Tag them or Share this with them. It would mean a lot to me.
Fish On!
Unless specifically noted, Image Source: Google Images
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No?
Then check out the latest Saltwater Fishing Hats, Performance Shirts, and more here now!
Bananas are not to be on board! 5 miles out of Morehead city heading to the stream a buddy pulls out a banana! I immediately yelled at him to get it off the boat. He ate it and chunked the peel off board. First hook up of the day cuts the leader off. An hour later we hook up to a wahoo, gaff handle brakes, and the mate slings the fish over the side. Wahoo bit him twice on the leg, to the bone!
Being the youngest and only girl in a family of sport fishing and boating for generations, I’ve heard a few. I’ve ruled out most, but held onto a couple. My favorite is to give offerings to the rulers of salt and tides. I’m not saying you need to come off of your first born, but the effort counts. I toss in any change I have on me before getting my lines wet 😉
No girls on a boat really I have had a girl on a boat before nothing hapend
Probably why it’s just a superstition…
I’ve been guilty of #2 and 3 over the years…
Not familiar with 1,2