What's Your Good-Luck Charm?

Back in the day, it was nothing unusual for young girls to carry a 4-leaf clover in their wallets (see photo right), and/or to have a penny in the loafers (see photo below) they wore. Boys, meanwhile, often would walk around with a rabbit's foot (see photo right, about halfway down) in their pockets or tied around their necks. Heck, ol' "swivel hips," none other than Elvis "the Pelvis" Presley himself, even recorded a hit tune entitled "Good Luck Charm" in late 1961.

"So, what does all this have to do with fishin'?" perhaps you're asking. Well, for some, it probably has no connection whatever. After all, I've heard some dudes remark, "I make my own luck." Or, if they're really sure of themselves, they'll say something like, "I don't need any luck, 'cause I'm good at everything I do."

If that's you, I say, "More power to ya." I, however, will gladly accept every little piece of good luck I can sequester in my corner, especially when it comes to fishin'. And, I'm not alone in thinking that way, either. Many anglers carry something either on themselves or in their tacklebox that serves as a good-luck charm.

Some anglers claim it's their faded, rusty, smelly, sweat- and blood-stained fishin' hat that's their ticket to the winner's circle. I read about one such fella, Mike Cork, who explained that his fishin' hat stays in the boat.

"It doesn't get worn around town, doesn't get shown off at morning registrations, and doesn't even get to go to weigh-ins," said this owner and manager of the Ultimate Bass website, adding, "but when the Mercury Pro XS fires off, she knows it's her turn." For what? "For boosting my confidence, taking the punishment of a missed fish, cooling my head on a hot day, and keeping the rain out of my eyes. All year long, she's crammed in rod lockers and boat compartments, blown into lakes and rivers, thrown in the floor of the boat and stomped on, as well as cussed and fussed at. She's also used to swat at wasps and bees. Yet, just like a good huntin' dog that hears a shotgun blast, my hat jumps at the call of bass fishin', especially on tournament days."

The good-luck charm for pro angler, Keith Poche, is a buckeye, which a friend once gave him. He always carries it in his pocket. Said Poche, "It does give me confidence, but I know God is the one in charge."

For Michigan pro, Kevin VanDam, it's the chocolate-chip cookies his wife bakes for each tournament day. He makes it a point to share the cookies with Davey Hite and his nephew, Jonathan. Incidentally, Davey used to have his own charm--a pair of boxer shorts, which he wore every day when fishing a major tournament--after washing, of course. He eventually had to toss the shorts but replaced them with a pair of old, rusty pliers his granddad used when teaching Davey how to fish.

Former Federation angler and 1994 Classic Champ, the late-Bryan Kerchal, also had a good-luck charm. It came about as a result of his fishing a May 21, 1994, Connecticut Federation tournament with Roy Rickis of Windsor, CT. Roy had carried a 4-and-one-half-inch whistle (see photo left), shaped like a fish, for several years as a good-luck piece. When Bryan started pulling in big keeper fish, Roy started blowing the whistle. Bryan got a big kick out of what Roy was doing, and at day's end, Roy suggested that Bryan carry the fish whistle to the Bassmasters Classic, where he blew it twice every time he landed a fish.

The whistle became Bryan's trademark during his inspirational victory (see photo right). Almost two weeks later, he autographed the whistle, with plans to return it, but Roy suggested that Bryan keep it until after he had defended his title.

As we all know, though, less than five months later, on Dec. 13, 1994, Bryan died in a plane crash in Morrisville, NC. The airline subsequently returned his personal possessions in one of its bags, but the whistle didn't appear to be among the contents, which led to speculation it had disappeared in the crash.

In June 1995, however, as Bryan's mom was getting ready for a trip to Florida, she emptied the airline bag for her own use and found the whistle among a smaller bag full of fishing lures. That original whistle subsequently served as a model to produce similar whistles for sale to collectors, fishing enthusiasts, and those who had been inspired by Bryan. The first duplicate, along with the original, then was returned to Roy Rickis.

The Bryan Kerchal Memorial Fish Whistle includes an exact copy of everything Bryan wrote on the original whistle. Proceeds from sales have benefited the Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial Fund, Inc., which is dedicated to assisting youth-oriented fishing programs. (FYI: At one point, copies of these whistles were available for sale from http://www.bryankerchalfund.org/, but that doesn't appear to be the current case. However, I did find a few for sale on ebay, usually with a price tag of $30 each.)

I would talk about the superstitious beliefs held by some anglers, but because there are those who say that doing so may bring bad luck, I choose not to address that topic. After all, bad luck already finds me far too often, as it is. Why hang myself out there for a double whammy?