Are Bananas Bad Luck on a Boat? Or a Bunch of Fishing Nonsense?

You or someone you know may absolutely forbid bananas on a boat. But what's the origin of this long-held maritime superstition?

Why are bananas considered bad luck on a boat? Lets consider the history and try to decide whether this tradition has any place in modern fishing. | 56741371 © Mikhail Dudarev | Dreamstime.com || Envato | FabrikaPhoto | 58CBZDQ

Some people irrationally freak out if you bring a banana aboard their boats. Somehow that piece of conveniently pre-wrapped, naturally nutritious, yellow fruit that doesn’t require refrigeration for the day, is heinously and dramatically interfering with their ability to catch fish? Right. For as long as I can remember, bringing bananas on a boat has been considered bad luck. But where did this superstition start?

Where Did the “Bananas Are Bad Luck” Belief Come From?

To set the record straight I dug into my research. I found many references and possible theories about where this started, but these were all fairly modern sources. And it looked to me like they have all just referenced each other’s theories and anecdotes. Spoiler: I was unable to find any actual, verifiable documentation from the time frames everyone cites as “when it began”. With that in mind, let’s consider some of the theories.

Spiders, Scurvy, and Explosions: Theories Behind the Myth

The most popular, widely told story about the bad luck banana is that spiders would hide in the bunches of bananas being transported and bite the sailors. | Envato | alessandrozocc | PLJLRCG

Perhaps the most plausible explanation, and the most popular theory, is from a time when early wooden cargo ships transported bananas from the tropics to foreign destinations. Inevitably, poisonous spiders and possibly even snakes inadvertently stowed away in the banana bunches, later biting unsuspecting crew members. That's a fair reason for not wanting bananas aboard your boat!

Another problem with bananas is they give off ethylene gas as they decay. Think about how fast a banana goes from ripe to overripe to, as Dr. Seuss said: a greasy black peel. The ethylene gas causes a few problems aboard a boat. First off, the gas causes the cell walls of other fruits to break down and ripen prematurely as well. So you may think you've got provisions for a lengthy sea voyage, and all of a sudden, all of your fruit spoils. And without fruit, sailors get scurvy. And sailors don't want scurvy.

In addition, if you throw a few hundred pounds of bananas in a cargo hold, close the door and forget about them, the fruit spoils and starts to ferment. When fruit ferments, it produces alcohol. This may be all well and good if you're planning to have a daiquiri, but old-time sailors didn't realize the alcohol being produced in the cargo hold could ignite, causing the boat to explode! Which, ultimately, left behind nothing but a bunch of bananas (which float). No sailor wanted to ever come across a slick of bananas at sea.

A banana's shelf life is somewhat shorter than some other fruits, and as they over ripen they ferment and produce ethylene gas which can cause other problems in the hold of an old wooden sailboat. | Dreamstime.com | © Photobobs | 49671063

Why This Myth Doesn’t Belong on a Modern Fishing Boat

So while lacking any actual evidence, these all sound like plausible and perfectly legitimate reasons for sailors not wanting bananas aboard a boat. However, even if they’re 100-percent true, none of these problems are realistic on a modern fishing boat.

Focus on Proven Fishing Techniques

Giving up on the idea that a banana in your boat has any impact on how fish behave will not instantly get you more bites, but shifting your focus and mindset absolutely can. When you stop wasting your time trying to eliminate bad luck and start focusing on proven fishing strategies and techniques—like reading the water, understanding how current conditions affect fish behavior, sharpening your mechanical skills, etc.—you give yourself a real chance at success. And each success leads to improved confidence that will take you way farther than any superstition.

Are Bananas Bad Luck on a Boat?

Sometimes even the most experienced, successful anglers have days when the fish have other plans, which makes it all a bit mysterious and unexplainable. But as humans, our brains are happier when we have answers, even if they don’t make any logical sense. So myths and old wives' tales, especially if we’ve heard them again and again over time, can fill in the spaces as "real" answers we accept as fact. But other than providing a little comfort, they’re probably not very helpful. The truth is, if you’re not catching fish, it’s not because of a piece of fruit.