I’m not going to lie. It is a troublesome column to put in writing. It makes me really feel like a low-level mobster snitching on the boss I’ve trusted for years. The film “Jaws,” in any case, performed an enormous half in shaping me as an angler. As a child (most likely too younger to be watching the film), “Jaws” planted the notion that there have been greater, badder fish on the market to catch than the bluegills, bass, and stocked trout I knew effectively.
Captain Quint was my idol. In reality, he nonetheless is. I perceive that the whole lot mistaken with the rod-and-reel battle scene within the movie was a fault of the crew and prop stylists. Nonetheless, older me cringes a bit each time I re-watch the film and get to that scene.
For a few years of my life, shark fishing was one thing I used to be keen about. Within the Northeast the place I reside, that meant making large offshore runs in the summertime looking for mako sharks, but additionally tussling with a whole lot of much less fascinating species like blue sharks and brown sharks alongside the way in which. The reality is shark fishing is boring as hell until you’ve gotten one on the road. It’s the equal of watching bobbers for hours and hours on a grand scale with a a lot heftier gasoline invoice. However the odds of us touchdown a 25-foot nice white on any of our trendy gear was slim.
As for Quint, he wouldn’t have stood an opportunity. Right here’s why.
Heavy Hitter?
Quint went after the legendary shark with a fiberglass Fenwick offshore rod that includes curler guides. Frankly, this piece of equipment was on level. Through the Nineteen Seventies, the rod would have been high of the road, and anglers of that period ceaselessly used related rods for large sharks, marlin, and big bluefin tuna. The reel, nonetheless, is a unique story.
The Penn 16/0 Senator bolted to that Fenwick is iconic however for all of the mistaken causes. It was the biggest Senator mannequin ever made and almost the dimensions of a paint can. Little doubt, to a prop stylist, this could have appeared like the right reel to battle an abnormally massive shark.
However the reality is that the 16/0 was in the end a flop. It was so vast and heavy that in fights with large fish it was identified to twist within the reel seat, throwing the complete outfit off steadiness. Moreover, underneath the strain of an enormous marlin or tuna, that extra-wide spool was identified to flex barely, placing further pressure on the gears that may result in a large number of issues. So, whereas the 16/0 appears to be like the half, the percentages of it surviving a combat with a 25-foot white weren’t nice.
One-Rod Pony
I’ve by no means been on a shark journey the place just one rod is deployed. This will add drama to the movie, however it wouldn’t have gotten a shark on the road quicker. Usually, you’d deploy at the very least three rods to cowl your chum slick. Because the chum strikes away from the boat it descends, so the furthest rod would maintain the deepest bait. You retain it on the desired depth by way of a balloon or foam float on the road. The center bait could be suspended shallower and the one immediately behind the boat would sit simply out of sight to tempt sharks that comply with their noses proper to the chum supply.
However Quint solely fished one rod with no float, and it gave the impression to be despatched straight down off the strict. To make issues worse, within the chumming scenes the water is flat calm — horrible for making a slick. You want wind or present to create a drift so your chum slick can go for miles. With out a drift, you’re simply marinating in your chum.
Bend the Guidelines
The subsequent time you watch “Jaws,” take note of Quint’s rod in the course of the well-known showdown. It barely bends. Though that Fenwick could be thought of a real “broomstick,” it will nonetheless flex rattling close to to the butt with a 25-foot shark on the opposite finish. Hell, it would even snap. However all through a lot of the combat the rod is barely curved or straight as an arrow.
The heaviest bend would have come instantly after the hook set, which by no means happens (perhaps Quint appreciated circle hooks).
And people refined clicks because the shark nibbles earlier than ripping off line? Tremendous dramatic. Will get the guts pounding. It will by no means occur, although. Sharks aren’t little channel catfish mouthing a scorching canine chunk earlier than committing. They take it and go.
Learn Subsequent: Best Saltwater Fishing Rods
The Piano Man
Maybe essentially the most obtrusive mistake in Quint’s fishing program can also be the simplest to overlook. Had you watched this deleted scene, it might have been extra apparent, however wanting that, the one time you hear reference to piano wire is true after the shark breaks off.
Quint’s chew safety of alternative was piano wire #12. I truly love this, as a result of it bolsters Quint’s badass fame as a pioneer shark angler. The sort out store doesn’t have what he wants. They’re not on his degree, so off to the music store he goes. There’s only one drawback.
This gauge of piano wire is single-strand and fairly skinny. Piano wire can also be softer than onerous metal single-strand used for chew leaders. So, whereas the entire thing sounds cool and romantic, it’s questionable whether or not that piano wire would have survived a bluefish not to mention an incredible white.
This would possibly clarify why when Hooper clips a rope to the swivel becoming a member of the primary line and chief — one other bonehead transfer — it elements immediately.
However, at the very least the scene is over.
Trending Merchandise
