One final trip to Jiggs Landing in Manatee County

Sitting at a picnic table on the edge of Evers Reservoir, 88-year-old Jadie Metcalf gazed toward the water, the brim of his hat pulled down over a face weathered by time.

He was at his beloved Jiggs Landing, spinning tales of times long past, when the Braden River swept through the area in front of him with only a smallish Ward Lake in sight. Progress dictated the Bradenton area needed water, and so Ward Lake eventually was dredged and expanded beginning in 1979 to become Evers Reservoir, as it is known today.

Metcalf left the area after graduating from Duke University and spending his early 20s in the Navy, becoming a lieutenant. After he got out of the Navy, and returned to college to earn his law degree, he moved to Europe, establishing a career as a business attorney with most of his years being spent in London.

Although he still lives in London, Jiggs Landing remains his first home, and a place he loves dearly. On July 14, he talked about his "final trip" to Jiggs Landing, and the beauty of it that constantly makes him smile, even when he is a world away.

Despite his advancing age, Metcalf looked fairly spry and even had planned a solo fishing trip on the St. John's River a few days following his Jiggs Landing visit. Unfortunately, he suffers from severe medical problems in his feet, and the reality is that his days of traveling are about to end.

What he might be facing in his immediate future didn't bother him on a blazing hot day at Jiggs Landing. His smile was constant as he rattled off stories about the formerly "wild" Braden River and its banks.

Photo by Jay Heater

For those unfamiliar with the name of Metcalf, Jadie's uncle was  Al "Jiggs" Metcalf, who founded the fishing camp on the Braden River in 1944. Jiggs was Jadie's uncle, and his father William's brother.

It was in 1941, when the brothers, Jiggs and William, took 6-year-old Jadie on a fishing trip on the Braden River.

"We took the cane poles," Jadie said, his eyes reflecting his deep thought and a crystal clear vision of the moment. "I went back to cast, and I hooked my father in the eyelid. 

"'Oh (expletive),' he said. He got out the nippers, pulled his eyelid out, snipped it off and pulled the rest of the hook through. Then he put a hook on my line, put on a worm and said, 'Keep fishing.'

"It was the only words said during that time (except for the initial curse). That's how things were when I fished with my family. Jiggs just was watching the whole time. They were tough guys."

Jiggs Metcalf and his wife Agnes didn't have children of their own so Jiggs and Jadie became very close, and much of their time together had to do with fishing.

One day in 1943, Jiggs loaded Jadie into his Jeep and headed toward the river.

"There was no road out here," Jadie said. "We were bouncing up and down over the palmetto bushes. He said he thought it was a good day to fish."

But he really wanted to show his nephew the area that would became Jiggs Landing in 1944. It was a 7-acre parcel he bought from Manatee County. 

"He built a shed here, and then a concrete block house," Jadie said. "The front part of the house became a store."

He built other cabins on the property, including another block house that William, Jadie and Jadie's sister, Sandy, would eventually live in after Jadie's mom died in 1953.

Jadie spent many happy days on the river and loved watching his Uncle Jiggs host friends and family at the cabins.

"Jiggs always was out there fishing," Jadie said. "He dug a pit so we could dig up worms before we would go out. He taught me how to fly fish.

"Jiggs was an opportunist. He came here with zero, nothing, and he created something. He built everything he needed with his own hands."

Jadie said his uncle was bright and charismatic.

"He wore these big hunting hats, and he always had a big cigar," he said. "I never have met anyone quite so charismatic, and I've met a lot of big shots around the world. I would see him every night playing pinochle with three or four of his best friends. There were a lot of Northern businessmen who would come and live in the cabins."

Photo by Jay Heater

He said Jiggs was a big man of more than 300 pounds and he was demanding.

"No one sat around with idle hands," Jadie said.

Sandy Metcalf once wanted a piano when she was young and living at Jiggs Landing, so Jiggs bought her one.

"He said you have to practice, and if you don't play an hour, no supper. She became very good."

But aside for all his charisma, Jadie said he remembers Jiggs most for his fishing skills. 

"This all used to be lily pads," he said of the water just off the shore from Jiggs Landing. "We caught  a lot of brim and bluegill. He had a plug with yellow and green spots. He would nail the big ones (bass)."

"He would say (of the plug), 'This is for catching fish. All that (in the fishing box) is for catching fishermen.'"

Jadie was headed out on the river in the evening to see if he could have better luck than in the morning, when he came back empty handed. He was going to fish with his cousin Joe Metcalf, who now lives in Palmetto.

"Jadie loves to come out here and fish all he can," said Joe Metcalf, who is 76. "My daughter says this trip, he is going down memory lane."

Joe Metcalf said he loves that Manatee County and Denise Kleiner, who runs the concessions at Jiggs Landing, did such a great job keeping the place nice.

"This perpetuates my uncle and his heritage," Joe Metcalf said. "It's more accessible now and I like they didn't do anything cheap."

Jadie walked to the waterside and took one of his last glances upon the water at Jiggs Landing.

"The days of Jiggs Landing are gone ... the wilderness is gone. It has lost its intimacy, but I would call this a good progression. The place had charm, and it still does now. It's being attacked by civilation, but it is sophisticated.

"It still is an impressive river, and an impressive plan for wildlife. I treat this as a compliment to Jiggs. He started this, an evolutionary development."