who's ralph?A Fish Story.
Ralph Marlin News | our copyrights | our history | who's ralph all about ties |contact ralph |links | home Ralph Marlin was a charter boat fisherman who left the U.S. in 1939 because he was tired of paying taxes and dealing with fishing regulations. He settled in the village of Rosa Rita, Mexico, and became a well-known, successful fisherman. Everyone who came to Rosa Rita wanted to go on Ralph's boat because he always brought them good luck. But in 1956, Ralph's luck went bad. Since he was very superstitious, he tried every good-luck charm he could think of and went to the local library to read up on potions from around the world. He learned of a Pacific Island medicine man who would take a dead fish from a previous catch, hang it by its tail around his neck, then do a dance to invoke the spirits of the sea. Ralph grabbed a smelly old fish, strung it around his neck and went fishing. He had fantastic luck - the biggest catch of the season. He repeated this ritual the next day. Again, a record catch. This went on for years.
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In
1964, Ralph, his boat and his parrot Gil disappeared, never to be heard
from again. But because Ralph was so beloved by the town, they erected
a statue of Ralph in the town square with a fish hanging around his neck.
This, of course, was the inspiration for the fish tie - our very first
tie - in 1986. And that folks really is a fish story that grows every
time we tell it!