Frank Mundus was the stuff of legends. If you’ve ever spent any time in Montauk, then you have probably heard the name. If you haven’t, then perhaps you will remember the old salty character, Captain Quinn, from the movie Jaws. Although author Peter Benchley denies that Mundus inspired the character or novel, he did go out to sea several time with the Long Island legend.
Mundus ran fishing charters out of Montauk since 1951, originating with bluefish and other sport fish. Upon accidentally catching a shark one day, he renamed his ventures “Monster Fishing”. And boy oh boy, was it monsters that he would catch. Coming from a science background, I truly hate to describe these great fish as monsters, who have been given a bad reputation from Jaws as blood-thirsty, man-eating killers. So in saying this, I do not mean that they are monsters in their disposition, but only in their grand size. A few examples of these monsters?
- August 2007, he hauled aboard a 9 ft thresher shark after it had smacked him with its tail
- 1964, he already had two sharks hooked to the side of the boat when he harpooned a third; a 17.5 ft long, 13 ft wide great white shark that weighed at least 4,500 lbs.
- 1986, he caught a 17 ft great white shark that weighed 3,427 lbs….with a rod and reel!!!!
Sadly though, Mundus died of a heart attack on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at his home in Honolulu.
