“You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” mumbled a petrified Chief Martin Brody to Captain Quint, as he backpedaled silently into the main cabin. He dangled a half-lit cigarette in his trembling mouth after he saw a mammoth 25-foot white shark lunge out of the water behind him on the starboard stern deck of the Orca. Brody was stunned.
Prior to that, Brody was spreading tin cups of bunker chum into the water until he uttered that famous Hollywood line. He was beyond scared, and we all witnessed and felt it in the moment. It was riveting. Brody, the police chief of the fictional small beach town of Amity in the movie “Jaws,” which was filmed on Martha’s Vineyard, was played by Roy Scheider. He performed the scene perfectly. And it scared us all. I even re-watched the movie for probably the 100th time on Sunday night.
Besides being an amateur boxer in his youth (his record was 11-1 with six knockouts) and serving proudly as a first lieutenant in the Air Force, Scheider lived in Bridgehampton and later in Sag Harbor with his wife, Brenda, for many years until his passing in 2008.
It was petrifying to see the movie on the silver screen, just a few days after it opened in East Hampton. We waited on a lengthy line to gain entry to the theater back then. Everyone wanted to see it, and to this day, “Jaws” still gives me the chills.
The iconic movie that premiered in the summer of 1975 and scared swimmers, including yours truly, away from the water, will once again come to life on Wednesday, July 9 at 7 p.m. That’s when, Capt. Pat Mundus, daughter of the famed shark hunter Capt. Frank Mundus, will speak at the Cutchogue Library (via Zoom, too) on the 50th anniversary of the infamous film that was directed by Steven Spielberg, another South Forker.
While the author of the book, Peter Benchley, never confirmed it, it’s widely accepted that the irascible and colorful Capt. Quint was based on Frank Mundus. The actor who portrayed him was Robert Shaw, who died at the age of 51, just three years after the movie premiered. Way too young. Shaw’s performance was iconic too. Though he was brought up in Westhoughton, England, a midland town 220 miles northwest of London, Shaw played the role of a hard-core Montauk fisherman to a tee.
On July 9, Pat Mundus, who lives in Orient on the North Fork, will recount her tales of growing up and her father’s larger-than-life exploits, as well as her own time serving as captain of huge ships and tankers around the world for several decades. Already, well over 100 people have signed up. For further details, check out the Cutchogue Library website.
The legacy of “Jaws” lives on 50 years later.
On the fishing scene, anglers who cherish black sea bass can finally rejoice. The season opened on Monday. Those who wet a line are now allowed to retain three fish over 16.5 inches in length. On Sept. 1, rod and reelers can keep six fish.
It should be a very good start to the season. Fishermen have been catching and releasing a multitude of the tasty fish for many weeks. They are everywhere, as they have been for many years.
Other nearby states have enjoyed much more lenient rules on catching the popular fish. As an example, New Jersey’s recreational black sea bass regulations include a 12.5-inch minimum size limit with varying bag limits (up to 15 fish), starting on May 17. Not bad, eh?
I should probably relocate to New Jersey. But that ain’t happening.
To be blunt, by every account and scientific analysis, those here in New York have been completely shortchanged when it comes to pursuing a very robust fishery. It’s just not right. Growing up here, I rarely if ever caught a sea bass. Nobody focused on them. They were an accidental bycatch. But not now. Like a plague of locusts, they are just about everywhere.
I could write on and on about the irregularities of the fishing statutes that have been applied to sea bass and other species. But the so-called experts have consistently turned a complete blind eye.
In other local fishing news, Will Cornacchia at the Montauk Anglers Club on East Lake Drive reports that fishing for striped bass has been “pretty good of late.”
“It appears that the best fishing is approaching Block Island off to the east,” he said. Fluke fishing has been very good, he said, On the fluke front, Cornacchia said that the fishing has been very good, with many landing their respective four-fish limit up to 13 pounds.
Farther offshore, Cornacchia said that he weighed in his first bluefin tuna of the season on Saturday. “It’s been a rather slow start to the offshore season so far, but that should quickly change. The waters are quickly warming up.”
To the west, Sebastian Gorgone at Mrs. Sam’s Bait and Tackle in East Hampton said business has been extremely brisk and the fishing has been excellent in many areas. “Starting last Tuesday, it was like a light switch went on,” he said on Sunday. “It’s been crazy. Summer is here and people want to fish.”
Gorgone said that striped bass remain plentiful at Plum Gut, the Race, and at the Ruins at the northern tip of Gardiner’s Island. Porgies too are running strong, especially at Montauk. “And the local fluke bite has improved, which is great to see,” he added. “The water is still cooler than normal. But that should likely change with the hot weather this week.”
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Fishing tips, observations, and photographs can be sent to [email protected].