If you’ve spent enough time around fishing guides and boat captains, you’ve probably heard this one: “Don’t bring bananas on board!” Sounds silly, right? Well, this superstition has been floating around for centuries, and it’s got some wild backstory.
Back in the 1700s, sailing ships carried bananas from the Caribbean.
🍌🚫 The fruit spoiled so fast that captains pushed their crews to sail at top speed. That meant no trolling lines dragging behind, no fishing breaks — just straight sailing. For the sailors, bananas became a sign of bad fishing luck.
But it didn’t stop there. Banana bunches were notorious for hiding nasty stowaways — venomous spiders, snakes, and creepy crawlies that could make life miserable at sea. On top of that, bananas release gases as they ripen, which sometimes spoiled other food or even created dangerous conditions in the ship’s hold. Add in a few sailors slipping on overripe banana mush on deck, and the fruit got a reputation as pure bad juju.
Fast forward to today, and the tradition lives on.
Plenty of guides (myself included) have had trips where the bite suddenly shut down… only to discover a client smuggled aboard a banana or even a granola bar with a banana on the wrapper. You better believe it went overboard quick!
So, whether you chalk it up to history, science, or pure superstition, one thing’s for sure: bananas and boats just don’t mix. If you want good luck on the water, leave the bananas at home — your guide will thank you.
