Superstition and the sea go together like peas and carrots.
Red sky in the morning sailor take warning. Red sky at night sailor’s delight.
If you whistle on the bridge you will whistle up the wind.
No Bananas.
Always avoid Gingers.
As a person who has spent half my life at sea I have been steeped in superstition. From being yelled at by a Norwegian Captain in the North Sea for whistling on the bridge, to my grandfather telling me “you’re not holding your mouth right” while he destroyed me flounder fishing in the Delaware Bay. Superstitions became a fun part of my life and a great scapegoat for a subpar day.
For a long time, I thought I was immune to superstitions. Really, I just substituted old school superstations with my own. Most superstitions were usually based on some sort of historical relevance, like the fact the bananas give off ethylene gas making other fruits ripen and spoil faster. I had my lucky shirt. Which became my bloody shirt. Then, became my holey shirt, and finally became my very gross disgusting shirt.
I no longer keep a lucky shirt as I now have a ginger wife who makes them disappear before the gross disgusting stage when they become the luckiest. However, I will never use a new rod, reel, or gaff the day I get it. New rods and reels ride along for a week before they get put into action so they can see how the rest of the gear performs. When you do the fish call if you do more than 3 fishy fishes you will have gone too far. 5 fishy fishes you are absolutely asking for trouble. The best way to elicit a strike on a slow day is for someone to shotgun a beer.
So, keep your bananas at home. Bring your lucky shirt. Never use new gear and always hold your mouth right.
No Banana,
I love my Ginger,
Cap’n Josh