Was Coulter the Victim of ‘First-Cast Curse’ in First Elimination Round
The first Elimination Round at the 2019 Major League Fishing Summit Select started off quick for newcomer Brandon Coulter. After making his first cast of the day into Lake Murray in Ardmore, Oklahoma, Coulter reeled in
“If something good happens right away it tends to kind of jinx the day,” Coulter lamented at the time.
More than a few pros believe that catching a fish on your first cast of the day can translate into bad luck. That’s something Coulter takes a little more seriously now after catching only one scorable bass for the day and finishing below the cut line in his first MLF event.
“I used to not believe in it,” Coulter admitted. “When I said, ‘Don’t catch one on your first cast,’ it was more of a joke, kind of making fun of people that think that way. I wasn’t really thinking at that point that it was going to go downhill. I definitely believe it now.”
Fred Roumbanis finished second in the round with 12 pounds, 6 ounces after “wasting” his first cast of the day – making a half-hearted short cast – to avoid the dreaded curse. He learned from an experienced fellow MLF pro early in his career to believe in bad luck.
“I might have been 19 years old the first time I heard it,” Roumbanis said. “I was fishing a team tournament with Ish Monroe. I caught one on the first cast and he flipped out on me and said, ‘You just ruined our day!’ I’m sitting here thinking I did something awesome, but he let me have it. Ever since then I’ve noticed there is something to (the first-cast curse).”
There just might be a way to avoid the bad juju, however.
“If you’re out there and no one tells you it’s going to be a bad deal, you might be alright,” Roumbanis joked. “But, as soon as they let you have it like Ish did to me. I’m messed up for life now. Thanks, Ish.”
Now, thanks to his Summit Select experience, the first-cast curse will stay in the back of Coulter’s mind when he’s out on the water.
“Generally I’m not a superstitious guy,” Coulter said. “I’m a math guy and I like looking at the numbers of a situation. But, I probably won’t catch one on the first cast for a long time.”