Weird tournament superstitions

[BMCD]

I use to have some of these, but have learned it don't matter. I don't fill my livewell in the morning cause its weight and it slows me down on the first run. Banannas are good for you. net, well I leave it strapped down till I need it. Ruler well it has a spot so that is where it goes. Catching on First cast, well dang I got lucky, and I know catching 1 fish on bait does not make a pattern, be quick to move on.

I get a box of 3-4 dozen hats every other year. I wear new hats frequently. Not an issue for me.

I don't let people help me with prepping my boat in the morning, cuz we will forget something.

[jbassman87]

Rarely use a net, but if I am fishing with someone that wants to, it can't be out until the fish is hooked.

[cwenbass]

I don't fish tournaments but I have had a quarter in my boat for years and flip it onto the deck as soon as I get to my first spot. No idea how that started.

[Classicxl]

When I did fish tournaments hears ago I didn't have any.

[Hoot]

I carry an armload of bananas and pitch one in every boat

Many years ago I was reading an article think it was in Bassmaster Magazine or Bass N Times think Rick Clunn mentioned that he liked to snack on Fig Newtons and would also eat a Banana or two during the day.

I also liked to snack on Bananas and Fig Newtons and didn’t realize a Banana was supposed to be “Bad Luck for Successful Fishing”until a fishing partner mentioned it one day.

The fella that educated me on that once hid multiple Bananas in the Boat of the cub member that had been dominating the Club Tournaments. I can’t remember if it worked or not but he didn’t get upset about it and we joked about it for years.

[Mark Perry]

I just go fishing. None of that stuff matters.

[ManxFishing]

Many years ago I was reading an article think it was in Bassmaster Magazine or Bass N Times think Rick Clunn mentioned that he liked to snack on Fig Newtons and would also eat a Banana or two during the day.

I also liked to snack on Bananas and Fig Newtons and didn’t realize a Banana was supposed to be “Bad Luck for Successful Fishing”until a fishing partner mentioned it one day.

The fella that educated me on that once hid multiple Bananas in the Boat of the cub member that had been dominating the Club Tournaments. I can’t remember if it worked or not but he didn’t get upset about it and we joked about it for years.

The Bananas in the Boat go back in Maritime History. Way back

"Why are Bananas Bad Luck on a boat, is an unusual nautical superstition that began in the 1700’s that is still persistent today. When trade ships sailing from the Caribbean & Spain started to disappear, legend has it that only the curved yellow fruits would be found floating amongst the wreckages. Seafarers believed the bananas had caused the ship to sink. Which leads to many rumors back at dock and throughout the seas."

[willwork4fish]

No bananas
Don't catch a fish on first cast...used to just joke about this one but had a Co catch a 4 on his first cast (before I even had the TM down) and not get a bite the rest of the day. I caught fish all day.
Don't take out the net until first fish is hooked
I don't put in a chew between when we launch and when I've caught a fish

[rjvana37]

When I get gas before a tournament I'll stop the total price on what weight I want to have

So like instead of an even $20 Ill let it run over to 22.32 or something like that.

Now days with the price of gas that would equate to around 100 LBs.

[BassDom]

ya'll are weird.

[JustinNC]

None. I have some habits but not really superstition. I like to weigh closer to the end unless I just know I've got a terrible bag. Results are results but I dont like the agonizing of watching my position slide further down. Just punch me in the gut when I weigh and be done with it.

I don't look up or look around much unless it's necessary for navigation. Crappie fishing often is a relatively clustered thing. I don't want to see or hear what other boats are doing. I want to stay in my own game and not second guess myself.

I track weights to cull on an AccuCull board, but I don't keep track on my scales. All I want to do is know what fish to cull. I don't want to know what my bag weighs as I go. I just know the class of individual fish on a given lake I'm after, try to stay in them, and just want to glance at the board to see which one to cull. I don't want to see the total on my scales. Again, mental thing so I don't sweat things and keep cool.

I WANT to catch a fish on the first cast, and any cast/drop/pitch past that. Scoping 100% of the time, if my jig is in the water, I'm looking at a fish I want to catch. Had a tourny last Sept that first cast was big fish of the tourny and helped anchor a 3rd place finish.

I don't have any actual superstitions that I can think of. The closest is for the longest time, I only had one SPF hoodie. I'd wear it pretty much every tournament. That said, the only tournaments I've won, or placed well in, I've had that shirt on, whether as a stand alone in warmer weather, or buried under my other layers. Eventually I got more shirts, but that one that is usually my tourny day shirt now. I do have one my GF's mom gave me for Christmas I dubbed my badluck shirt. The couple times I've worn it, were less than stellar days fishing

[geodebasser]

I keep a can of Bennie Weenies and a tin of sardines that has been in every boat I have owned since 1976.

[castforcash]

I keep a can of Bennie Weenies and a tin of sardines that has been in every boat I have owned since 1976.

I hope neither ever become punctured, can't imagine how bad that would smell

[donpilot]

Dont know if is a superstition or not but net lays on the floor, but nothing goes on top of it.

[flippingmagician]

No fish first cast.
No bananas in the boat.
I don't get the net out until first fish is in the boat.
Don't eat fish/seafood the night before a tournament.

I'm definitely a quirky dude as my wife says.

[Mack710]

I dont get the net out until a fish is on and I put it away after each fish catch. Never seem to catch another good one until I put the net back away, same goes for the scale.

And I do that fun fishing as well, not just tournaments, though I usually only get the net out for the actual big ones when fun fishing.

[mean_dean]

Something I started doing before fishing tournaments with one of my best buddies, we would "ceremoniously" dip the net into the water when we reached our first fishing spot along with some wolf howls. The dipping of the net followed me to tournaments when I was using my boat. Still do it today even though I just fun fish.

[JR19]

I just go fishing. None of that stuff matters.

Correct...a black cat, walking under a ladder, bananas in the boat or whatever weird superstition is common will have zero effect on my ability to catch or not catch fish.

[Imavol]

The first cast thing is real, had it happen too many times. And I never fill the livewell either.

[Jumping Jimmy]

Cannot wear the same hat I wore practicing. I have practice hat and then tournament hat. They all get rotated. I guess each hat has a little luck in it.