Jig-A-Whopper, owned by Gary Snyder of Dodge Center, MN, was one of our major contributors to the children that participated in this year’s EFN Big Brothers-Big Sisters Outing. Gary was incredibly generous and was very willing to do whatever he could to ensure the kids in our event went home happy!! We thank you Mr. Snyder & Jig-A-Whopper!
On a more personal note, his nephew Jacob participated in a similar event… only on a much more grand and international scale!! Please read through the story below and notice that some really good things do happen for those that help others!
Make–a-Wish Foundation Provides Experience of a Lifetime for Local Teenager
By Terry Campbell
Dodge Center Star Record
Jacob Snyder of Dodge Center is a typical boy who loves fishing, but for the last 5 years he has been battling Desmoid Tumors. This disease has caused him to endure six surgeries, two series of radiation treatments, chemotherapy for the last fourteen months and the loss of one foot. Despite these experiences he has maintained a desire and enthusiasm for the sport of fishing.
Fishing is a family tradition with the Snyders. His great-grandfather had a fishing equipment shop in Menominee, Wisconsin and his grandfather was a fishing tackle manufacturer. His uncle, Gary, owns and manufactures the Jig-a-Whopper and Red Neck Tech fishing lures. Jacob enjoys ice fishing and lake fishing whenever he can here in Minnesota.
When the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Minnesota contacted him last fall that he was eligible for the Make-a-Wish program, Jacob knew what he wanted to do. It would be a deep-sea fishing trip to catch the rare Black Marlin. The Black Marlin is a prized game fish sought by the most adventurous of anglers. It can grow to a length of 15’ and weigh up to half a ton. Once a Black Marlin has been hooked by a fisherman it can take up to six hours to reel the fish in to the boat. Most Marlins are tagged and released so the next sportsman can enjoy the thrill of catching a trophy. One Marlin tagged and released off the coast of Australia was caught again in the Caribbean.
Originally the destination for the fishing trip was to be Venezuela, but one of the Make-a-Wish Foundation contacts knew about a small resort in Panama that was closer to fishing waters inhabited by the prize they were looking for. The Tropic Star Lodge in Pinas Bay, Panama was an old vacation home built by Texas oil tycoon, Ray Smith in the 1940’s. After being damaged by an earthquake, it was remodeled as a sport fishing resort in he mid sixties. It is situated on the Pacific side of Panama, about fifty miles from Columbia. There are no roads leading to Pinas Bay and it is only accessible by boat or plane.
On June 28th, Jacob and his parents, Ron and Wanda Snyder along with his sister, Lindsey, flew to Panama City, Panama. A small charter flight took them from the Panama City International Airport to the private airstrip in Pinas Bay, one hundred miles away. A boat ferried them to the Tropic Star Lodge, which sits in a bay on the Pacific shore. The Panama coast is a tropical rainforest with a rocky beach and this bay is the only safe harbor on the west side.
The Tropic Star Lodge is a small resort that can accommodate only 36 guests and Jacob was their first Make-a-Wish visitor. The Snyder’s said they were treated like royalty. Every part of their trip went smoothly, a testimony to the concern and commitment of all organizations affiliated with the Make-a-Wish foundation worldwide. The Kuna indian tribe lives near the lodge and were a major part of the support staff for the fishing expedition. These people could speak very little English, but communicated through gestures. The captain and two mates that accompanied the Snyder’s each day were very helpful and enjoyable and Ron said that it would have been so interesting to have been able to talk with them.
The Panama government patrols the coast for twenty miles out to sea to prevent commercial fishermen from intruding on the tourist fishing territory. A couple times one of the patrol boats came into the harbor and the Snyders said it looked like a warship ready for battle. About seven miles out to sea there is a coral reef and this is where the deep sea fishing for sailfish and marlins takes place. The crew takes the fishermen out in a 31’ Bertram boat and locates the spots by using visual landmarks on shore such as mountains and islands. The crafts did not have radar or depth finders and if it got foggy the captain would not lose sight of the shore.
The family was ready to go out to sea fishing early every morning, and the first task was to catch the bait for the day.
They used a lure to troll for bonito, which are found in school so thick that within 6-8 minutes they would catch enough bait and head farther out to sea. Wanda Snyder said this was quite exciting at first because the bait they catch is bigger than any fish you catch in Minnesota.
When fishing for Marlin, the line is threaded through the bait and a circle hook is used. This type of hook does not set until the fish has turned and headed away from the boat so it only lodges along the mouth of the catch. This allows the hook to be cut loose after the fish has been played to the boat and causes no permanent injury to the fish. In the salt water the hook will rust away within weeks. Four times during their deep sea-fishing trip they had a shark take the bait, but never were able to hook one.
The temperatures were in the 90’s and the humidity was very high. A sailfish would take from 5 to 30 minutes to land and long before the fish was a board, the one reeling it in was soaked in perspiration and sea spray. When a fish took the bait, everyone else reeled in their lines and so the catch could be played into the boat. Often it would be 150 yards away from the boat and the sailfish would jump right out of the water as they fought the line.
Jacob caught 29 sailfish on the trip as well as 3 Yellowfin Tuna, one Mackerel, two Amberjack, three Skipjack, two Dolphinfish, one Roosterfish, two Rainbow runner and a Cubera Snapper. Most of the fish are released after being caught but Yellowfin Tuna, Dolphinfish and Snapper are kept for eating. The lodge kitchen cooked for everyone to eat at the same time in a family style setting. Many of the natives who worked there would take the fish home to feed their families.
On July fourth, Jacob went out and forgot to take his Dramamine. For those who didn’t have sea legs it was a necessity because seasickness would quickly ruin the day. He almost came in because the motion sickness was affecting him, but sticking it out brought him the reward of a lifetime. While rock fishing along the shore at about one in the afternoon he hooked a Cubera Snapper. It took 15 minutes to bring the fish to the boat and when it was landed Jacob was in possession of a new world record for junior males, 11-16 years old. The old record was 37.7 pounds and the Snapper that he caught weighed 46.6 pounds and measured 45″ long. Because of the airline flight and other logistics of the trip they were not able to have the fish mounted but they did have it for dinner that evening. One of the natives made a necklace with one of the teeth for him to have as a souvenir.
The last day was stormy with lightning and rain in the distance, but at 6:15 they headed out to sea again. The waves were higher than the boat. Jacob said that when the boat was on top of a swell you could see the shore but when in between all you could see was water on every side. Never the less it was their best day of fishing. The fish seemed to bite better on cloudy days.
The Snyder family would like to thank the Make-a-Wish Foundation for making this dream trip a reality and Delta Airlines for donating the airfare and the Shriner’s Hospital in Minneapolis for all the work done for Jacob’s prosthesis.
The Make-a-Wish foundation is funded primarily by individual donations with two major fundraisers each year and some corporate sponsors. 89% of the funds raised are spent granting wishes to children who are suffering serious illnesses or experiencing extensive medical treatment. Over 83,000 wishes have been granted worldwide with 1850 in Minnesota alone. When a wish is granted all expenses are paid and the immediate family is included. The most popular wish is a trip to Walt Disney World and the average cost of a wish is $5,000.
What an awesome story!
Good fishin’,
EFN Webstaff
