Well this is interesting. Pepperoni, your suggestion of "tommy cod" seems
very good because if one does some searches, that's the only variation of
names that actually produces references to a fish by that name, like in that
site you mentioned. I've found several other sites today that refer to both
"tomcods" and "tommy cods". But Ahab, you make a good point, too. While
we don't really know if the "pond" Quint is referring to is a typical
fresh-water pond or the salt water "pond" (which they had in Amity), it
seems more likely that he might be referring to a fresh-water pond simply
because bluegills are fresh-water fish and Quint named both fish in the same
sentence. That's another reason I thought that "tommy cats" was what he
was saying. I assumed that was some type of catfish and that would all make
sense. Except of course for the fact that "tommy cat" just doesn't seem to
be a name of any fish at all and doesn't show up on any web sites that I've
found.



wrote in message
...
On Sun, 8 Aug 2004 18:07:05 -0400, "Pepperoni"
wrote:

....Maybe "tommycod" (Tomcod)
9-12 inches long (may be 15)

The frame of reference would lead one to think he was speaking of
fresh water fish.


http://octopus.gma.org/fogm/Microgadus_tomcod.htm

"K" wrote in message
hlink.net...
I figured a fishing group was the best place to ask this one...
In the movie Jaws, Robert Shaw playing the part of Quint delivers one
of
his
memorable speeches in the town hall meeting. It goes: "Y'all know
me.
Know how I earn a livin'. I'll catch this bird for ya, but it ain't
gonna
be easy... Bad fish. It's not like goin' down to the pond chasin'
bluegills or something.
Anyone know what that something is? It seems people have different
interpretations of what he said, including "tommycats", tommycots", and
"tommycocks". I've done searches on all three but so far haven't
come
up
with anything relating to fish. Anyone know what fish he was
referring
to?
To me it kind of sounds like "tommycats", but it's kind of hard to tell
because in the movie he was sticking a potato chip or something in his
mouth
just as he said it.
Thanks for any ideas.
-Kent