Vendor casts future for historic Jiggs site

Leigh Hollins and his wife, Janet, had boated on the Braden River many times before, but as they pushed off their 12-and-a-half foot aluminum boat from the dock at Jiggs Landing Preserve and made the hourlong ride to Linger Lodge Restaurant for a late lunch and a couple of beers Jan. 7, something was different.

By morning, after waking to the pitter-patter of raindrops overhead and sipping on coffee, they had become the first people to stay overnight in the preserve’s newly-opened rental cabins, each equipped with two single beds, a night stand, two chairs and an electrical outlet. 

“It’s better than sleeping in a tent,” Leigh Hollins said with a chuckle. “It was neat. There’re a lot of locals who use this preserve. Most everyone we met lives right around here.”

“They did a nice job,” Janet Hollins agreed.  “Everything’s comfortable.”

Manatee County re-opened Jiggs Landing Preserve after extensive renovations in December 2010. Renovations included four rental fishing cabins and a concession area on property, but they have not been utilized until now. Vendor TDKS Enterprises, doing business as Jiggs Landing Fish Camp, opened in the preserve offering cabin rentals, concessions and canoe/kayak rentals Jan. 7. Hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

The Hollins, residents of Mill Creek, quickly jumped on the opportunity to stay overnight at the preserve, when TDKS co-owner Don Collison called them from a 60-person waiting list. Leigh Hollins had been inquiring about the cabins for years. Neither he, nor his wife, had a problem with the mid-week stay because both are retired. 

“Every day is a Saturday,” Hollins said. 

The couple is considering renting a cabin again, or even renting all four cabins for a family gathering with their three children and six grandchildren.

Collison said about 100 people visited opening day to see the facilities and he’s excited about what the future will hold. He and his two sisters, Kimberly Nemeth and Trina Smith, and friends, Chris Cole and Sam Wyric, believe the public will welcome their services.

By the end of the month, the ownership group hopes to open a small fish and tackle shop, with live bait, within the concession building. Within six months, they plan to have a take-away style cafe, with outdoor seating, that offers hot and cold sandwiches, homemade pies and other homemade items. The concession area also will have penny candy, root beer floats and other “traditional old-style fare,” Collison said.

“We’re trying to bring back the old charm,” Collison said, referring the preserve’s history as Jiggs Landing Fish Camp, run by Alfonso and Agnes Metcalf for about 40 years starting in 1944.

Charlie Hunsicker of Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources said the opening marks the first of its kind in Manatee County because such interactive services are not normally offered at county preserves. Campsites are available for $20 per night at both Rye and Duette preserves, but that's it. When Hunsicker installed a drink vending machine at Robinson Preserve, he ended up removing it because sales were so low they didn't even cover its electricity costs.

Collison said the fishing cabins are mostly booked up through February and he is still working through the waiting list. With a resident hawk on the property, spectacular sunsets, ample fishing and boating opportunities, Collison said his business will quickly grow in popularity, especially if his company adds air-conditioning units to the cabins for summer rentals.

“You’re unplugged,” he said. “This is going to appeal to the folks who want to get away.”