Banana's - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Canalman · 05-31-2006, 01:37 PM

I talked with Alan from Got Stryper charters a few months back, when I looked through his brochure, there was a particular line that caught my attention. It read, something like this, "Bring your own lunch, no alcoholic beverages and ABSOLUTLEY NO BANANAS." So I asked him if it was a joke and he said, quite frankly, "NO"... apparently there is something in the smell of banana's that fish don't like. So I thought a bit about it and then forgot about it. This past Sunday morning I was out fishing with a few friends of mine, the fishing was phenominal for 2 of us, my friend Jerry and I were bailing fish onto the shore... mostly between 32-38 inches... decent bass 1 20 pounder and 1 at 31 pounds all on topwater plugs that I made poppers and spooks... lots of fun. Anyway... the other guy couldn't barley raise a swell, so he said jokingly that maybe he needed to eat something. So he pulls out a banana and begins to peel it. My mind intantly ran back to my conversation with Alan and I warned him... he ate it anyway. Don't you know he didn't catch anything... he had literally 5 swirls all morning... while Jerry and I killed them. So of course he was dubbed banana man for the rest of the day. And in a little shot of irony... he went back the next day... couldn't get a hit again until he put on his Yellow, yes YELLOW superstrike popper. Anyone else heard that and has anyone else seen it in action? We made up our own theories about it, when you put a banana in your lunch pail, your chips and sandwich taste like banana and I guess it's common knowledge in the offshore fishery.

So no more banana's for me... I guess

fishaholic18 · 05-31-2006, 01:58 PM

http://www.timespub.tc/Adventure/Arc...000/banana.htm

Karl F · 05-31-2006, 02:01 PM

YES, We have no Bananas, we have No babannas, today!

Don't think it means diddly.. no bananas allowed on charter boats, only because of the slip and fall thing, (peels on the deck, and the like), have heard of that.

Yellow Plugs Kill, we all know that.

And, I know of more than one sharpie, highliner, whatever ya call 'em, that always brings a banana for a snack, and it don't seem to effect their fish catching a bit.

Of course we all have are voodoo rituals, and beliefs, so ... whatevah...

I know one guy that eats nothing but fish from March 1 on, so he exudes nothing but fish scent

I know he loves steaks, burgers and such, so I always bring up that I just cooked me a juicy steak, or burger into the conversation, when we talk

Me, I try to bring a lot of water, I can't be dehydrated no more, and not forget my plug bag, or rod,

Sgt_Nutz · 05-31-2006, 02:12 PM

Had a banana to eat on the boat yesterday and only a banana; and killed them.
Although that could explain the big one that got away on a broken swivel.....

ZuluHotel · 05-31-2006, 02:20 PM

Hey Davey:

That banana stuff is a bunch of malarky offshore guys in Jersey use to explain their way out of skill-lessness (if that's a word). I had a boss once who inherited a Carolina accent with a Carolina boat he bought, and he was adamant about no bananas. Fact is, bananas or no, he couldn't catch his you-know-what with two hands--hence the "superstition."

Actually, a fair number of tournament billfishermen down south get wound up about bananas. Dirty trick during tournament time is to sneak a bunch of bananas into one of your biggest competitors' engine rooms.

Bananas have good potassium, and are great after 36 hours on deck at the canyons. I love 'em.

Roger · 05-31-2006, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karl F

I know one guy that eats nothing but fish from March 1 on, so he exudes nothing but fish scent

I wonder if bass are atracted to seals, sharks and bluefish?

Canalman · 05-31-2006, 03:01 PM

I always thought it was a myth... and I have eaten bananas when fishing without detrimental effects... or at least I think it didn't have an effect

. I thought it was pretty funny though he was using the same lures and everything and couldn't raise a damn thing... poor bastid

-Dave

thefishingfreak · 05-31-2006, 04:45 PM

it's an old wives tale. banannas on boats are bad luck. got something to do with the banana boats that always sunk.
same as whistling. bad luck.
i think it's bs, but who needs to piss off the fish gods.

STREETFIGHT · 05-31-2006, 04:48 PM

the story i heard about bananas & boats (supposedly bad luck) comes from the days of sail when boat loads of bananas held all kinds of bugs and snakes from the caribbean. the crews would end up getting bit and getting sick & dying etc....... now tuna fish sandwiches on an offshore trip- thats another story.......

MakoMike · 05-31-2006, 04:50 PM

Funny story. One day my son and I had a newbie offshore, trolling for tuna. We went 2 hours or so after lines in without a bite. Then the guy goes into his cooler and we see bananas. So ww really start ragging on him for bringing the forbidden fruit on board. Finally he gets pissed off and throws the Bananas overboard, they didn;t get out of sight before we got coverd up by tuna. Six fish on all at once. Now I don't make fun of the old superstition.

missing link · 05-31-2006, 05:04 PM

2 years ago ,I was fishing with Big Pete and JR Link on my boat I was on the bow and we were drifting for bass I also had a banana and ate it while drifting , well the peel fell into the drink and came out the stern and Big Pete yelled out Who's eating F'n BANANAS needless to say I learned all about the curse of bananas on boats, Oh yea it was SKUNK for me , never again will there be a banana on my boat( I hope)
ML Sr.

tattoobob · 05-31-2006, 08:00 PM

I was always told that a Banana in the boat ment bad luck, how true it is one will never know

Pete_G · 05-31-2006, 08:17 PM

I'm with MakoMike, I WILL NOT EVER tempt fate by bringing or allowing bananas on board or mock the old superstition. The Edge guide crew was ravaged by bad luck after a client snuck bananas onto one of the boats.

A few springs ago one of our guides had his digital camera and cell phone go overboard somehow while underway. The bananas were discovered at the end of the trip...

The banana curse was not done though, it jumped ship to me and the next morning, my brand new digital camera jumped ship as well. Same scenario, I don't even know when it happened.

$1200 worth of cameras (with great pics not yet downloaded) and a $300 cell phone gone to the bottom of Narragansett Bay in 24 hours. I was sick over that $600 camera for a week, especially since it became a $1200 camera when I bought it a 2nd time. No bananas on board for me. I'm sure it was just a coincidence, but I'm not taking the chance that it wasn't on account of that expensive stretch of bad luck.