I've heard one theory but don't know if it's the only one.

Anybody?

There's several old wive's tales about bananas being bad luck on boats.

1. In the olden days sailors would sometimes bring crates of bananas onboard that conatined a wide variety of spiders and stuff. Daggum spiders would get all over the ship and they could never get rid of them.

2. Other, less popular, lore includes sailors slipping on the peels and falling overboard and getting their hands greasy from eating them and causing problems. Also supposedly the smell is so strong that it can get on the fishing gear and "scare away" fish.

D2

Keep your darn apricots off Marine Corps Amtraks!!!!!!!!

HA! Really it has more to do with going on shore leave and the ho's comparing our willies with bananas.

The one I heard was that back in the trading days of Christopher Columbus, if a ship happened to sink, bananas were one of the only things floating.

Therefore, bananas became synonomous with sinking ships and bad luck.

Bananas are bad luck fishing because they are bad luck fishing. Ask no questions!

Can't say I have ever heard that myth. But can't say I would ever consider taking bananas on a fishing trip either. It would take up valuable space for my beer, dried sausage/summer sausage, easy cheese in a can, and ritz crackers.

The origin of this superstition is uncertain, but many believe that it began in olden times, when bananas were transported by rickety, overcrowded, top-heavy boats plying the tropics (now known as cruise ships). These boats would frequently sink, leaving behind a residue of floating yellow commas, thus leading witnesses to deduce that hauling bananas was unlucky.

A more scientific explanation is that since bananas give off ethylene gas when they ripen, it causes other perishable foodstuffs to spoil more quickly. This expended-gas theory could be why it's also considered unlucky to have a politician on board.

Yet another theory suggests that crates of bananas would also contain unwanted pests, such as spiders, snakes, flies, mice and Beanie Babies.

Although the banana superstition is worldwide, nowhere is it taken more seriously than in Hawaii. Some believe the Aloha State's anti-banana sentiment has its roots in legend when the god Pele (apparently before his soccer career) brought his brother to the islands to be the deity in charge of sport fishing. Rumor has it that he was deficient in, how shall we say, the male hydraulics department, giving him a severe case of banana envy.

A clue to how Hawaiians feel about the subject can be found on the Kona Fishing Charter website. Although fairly ambiguously written, it states "Absolutely positively, no ifs, ands ,or buts, do not bring bananas on board". Let's just say if questioned by a Large Samoan deckhand folding a filet knife, it might be better NOT to reveal the fact that you had a Bananas Foster for breakfast.

[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 1/2/2010 12:10p).]