Jaws 5: Runaway Reptile
I think I was the first game warden to arrive that morning, Monday, September 20, 2004, after receiving a call about an alligator on Corpus Christi’s North Beach near the USS Lexington Museum, an 888 ft. retired U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. If I had watched the news beforehand, I would’ve known all about it. It was the top story. The opening shot was of a 6 ½-foot alligator alone on the beach. Why was the alligator alone? Mostly because there wasn’t a single tourist who’d go near it. However, there were plenty of would-be beach goers who kept their distance and had plenty to say to the news reporter.
“It’s big and scary and it could eat my dog,” said a lady from somewhere. And then another lady from somewhere else said something like, “My kids were gonna play on the beach today, but when we saw the alligator, I told them it’s just not safe.” Her eyes twitched nervously from side to side before mumbling, “Someone should do something…” Well, I guess the “someone” she was hoping for was there as soon as I arrived. I assessed the situation from the catwalk leading up to the museum, and I saw it right away. It was a sure-enough 6 ½-foot gator, but I couldn’t get near it. The catchpole I carried in my truck wasn’t going to work, so I opted for a heavy-duty trot line thingy-bop I had with a big ol’ honkin’ hook on the end. Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought any bait.
Lucky for me, I got a local restaurant to donate a chicken breast. I put said breast on the big ol’ honkin’ hook and slung it at the gator several times. The gator was nonplused.
I don’t remember exactly how Game Warden Mike Wheelington (retired) arrived at the scene, shark-rod in hand, but it soon became apparent that he was gonna be the hero. Mike had gotten big into shark fishing after the movie “Jaws” came out in 1975, and he had a 12/0 Penn reel on a heavy rod with 100 lb. line that he liked to test his mettle against the monsters with. Heck, one time he caught a 490 lb. bull shark. Surely, that gator would be gravy.
From the museum catwalk, Mike clipped a huge treble hook onto a leader at the end of his line and started casting over the gator as it meandered between the Lex and the shore. It took several tries, but he eventually foul-hooked it behind the head. The fight was on! The reel’s drag screamed as the gator made a run. When the run was over, Mike pumped and reeled until another run came, all the while working his way off the catwalk down to the beach below.
When the gator was plumb played out, Mike heaved it up to the waterline. That’s when me and two other dudes pounced on it. Somebody handed me a rope that I wrapped around the gator’s mouth. Then, like pallbearers at a funeral, Mike and I grabbed the front two legs, and two other guys grabbed the back two, and we lifted the gator up. I heard camera clicks. We then hauled the gator over to an awaiting game warden truck to be whisked off to a more suitable habitat. The next day, Mike and I, and the gator, were on the front page of the Corpus Christi Caller Times under the headline “Runaway Reptile”.
On a related note, did you know that this June 20th marks the 50th anniversary of the original “Jaws” movie? Yep, and there were three additional movies in the series, with “Jaws: The Revenge” being the last. I’m pretty nostalgic about it all, and I think it might be time to start the franchise back up again. Maybe, “Jaws 5: Runaway Reptile”?
Somebody get me Spielberg’s number…
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