The summer of 2025 on Martha’s Vineyard has certainly been about sharks –– whether you’re celebrating at a “Jaws” 50th anniversary event, watching one of the weekly showings of “Jaws,” buying shark clothing — of which there is an abundance — or casting a chunk of fresh bait into the water to catch a real shark.
While Quint went out in the Orca to catch sharks, most of us on-Island are catching sharks from shore. Last week, the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association hosted its annual in-house catch-and-release shark tournament for four fin-filled days. It’s a friendly competition. We spend more time sitting around talking, eating, laughing, and soaking in the sunshine than fishing.
A few of us hit Chappy early on Thursday. I had one goal and one hope –– for my teammate Dave Balon to catch his first shark. For all the years Dave has been in the Surfcasters, he’s never been able to take off work for the shark tournament. This was the year.
We pulled up next to Julie and Sal Tummino. We had fresh bluefish for bait, thanks to Sal. The current was moving too swiftly at first, so we cast for blues and bonitos for a couple of hours. Finally, the 8-ounce weight held the bottom. Dave and Sal cast out. Julie and I relaxed in our beach chairs and talked life. Zach Magid pulled up, then Donald Scarpone, a.k.a. the Prez, arrived.
Surfcasters continued to arrive, and we continued to wait on the sharks. Suddenly, Zach yelled out, “Dave!” and we all turned to see Dave’s rod bent and the line running. Dave grabbed the rod and set the hook.
Game on!
The shark took off. Line peeled.
The fight was sweet, and Dave reeled in a beautiful brown shark. The guys got the hook out, I took a few memory-maker photos, and Dave released his first shark back into the water. It was perfect. About 45 minutes too early for the tournament, but perfect nonetheless.
At 3 pm, the Prez called out to all of us on the beach that the tournament had officially begun. Bait was cast into the water, and the official wait began.
Within the hour, Jared Stobie landed the first shark of the tournament. At 54½ inches, it was a nice shark, but probably not going to hold the lead.
Sure enough, half an hour later, Julie Tummino watched her rod go tap, tap, tap, then double over. “She took off straight out a long, long way,” said Julie. “Then she dropped to the bottom, and I thought it was a ray.
“It was a long way out there. I tried to tire her out instead of fighting her,” she said. “It took me 20 to 30 minutes to get her near the shore. Then three waves helped push her in. She was fat and cranky.”
The guys got the hook out and measured the shark. Sixty inches from the nose to the split in the tail. Julie, who’d won the tournament in 2023, was back in the lead on Day 1.
Dave and I headed to the Chappy Ferry at 6 am on Friday for the first trip over. We wanted to fish the morning low tide. I refused to fish until Dave caught his first tournament shark. That said, Dave’s line sat in the water without a nibble. He checked his bait every 15 to 20 minutes, changed it out, and still no bites. The sharks were clearly getting breakfast elsewhere.
Sal and Julie showed up, followed by Zach. Bait was cast, and we all waited for rod tips to shake or lines to rip. Sal’s line took off around 10 am, and we cheered. The sharks had arrived. Sal landed a beauty, smaller than Julie’s, and their marriage was still blissful. LOL.
Though we thought the sharks had arrived, we spent an hour talking and waiting for another rod to go off. Dave had to leave the beach by 3 pm. Everyone wanted him to land a shark. While Dave was over at his truck, Sal said to me, “If my rod goes off before Dave’s, I’m giving it to Dave.”
Did I mention that Sal is great, and the Surfcasters are an amazing group of people? Well, it’s true. And Sal was true to his word when 45 minutes later his rod bent over. Sal just sat in his chair. We all yelled for Dave to take the rod. At first he shook his head, but when he saw that Sal really wasn’t getting up from his beach chair, he lifted the rod out of the sand spike.
Everyone cheered. A crowd gathered. A group of kids stood by, fascinated and eager to see a live shark. Dave landed a 55-incher. Sal and Zach unhooked him, once again I took pictures, and then Dave released him.
Four additional sharks were caught on Friday, but Julie’s 60-inch cranky lady held the lead.
Saturday was a beautiful beach day, and Saturday night was a beauty for sharks. Rods were going off one after the other. The Prez and Matt Brewer each landed 59-inch sharks to tie for second place.
Everyone was having a fintastic time. A couple of the guys had a little more fun when Zach told Julie his shark was bigger than hers. The Prez, Matt Brewer, and Ralph Peckham played along with Zach. Julie, sweet, kind soul that she is, believed them. By the end of the night, the truth came out. Zach’s shark was smaller than Julie’s, and she was still in the lead.
Julie laughed, hexed them all with a curse for catching only dogfish on Sunday, and then she laughed again.
Just your average day of fun and friendship on the beach. Nothing better!
Sunday dawned gray and cloudy, with a chance of rain and little chance of sunshine. Sal and Julie’s monthlong rental ended Sunday, and they had to head back to upstate New York. The Prez, Ralph, and Matt were the only three on the beach when I arrived.
The current was strong, and the weights wouldn’t hold bottom. We did what all good fishermen do –– talked.
A few hours passed, the Prez grilled up dinner, and the tide began to change. We tossed some bait into the water and waited. I sat by my rod and read. I was settling into the chapter when my line began to peel. I took off my glasses, picked up my rod, and held on.
The shark felt big, and strong. He ran a few times, definitely a few times more than I wanted him to. After what felt like eternity, he rode a wave in. Donald pulled him up onto the sand as I held the line, and he and Matt pulled the hook out. He was big, but not big enough. Fifty-nine inches. I was thrilled.
I left the beach a little after 8 pm. Three of us were tied for second place. Someone was gonna need a bigger shark to beat Julie.
On Monday morning, the Prez posted that Julie had reclaimed her Shark Queen championship title. It was a great way to start the week.
I hope to see you on the beach, and I hope we’re smiling with friends.
Julie won in 2023, Matt won in 2024, Julie wins 2025.