Rodman Reservoir

Fishing Equipment:

• Spinning Rods
• Baitcasting Rods
• Left & Right Handed
• Fly Rods (request only)
• Braid & Mono Line

Best Largemouth Bass Fishery

Florida Rodman Reservoir largemouth bass anglers have success trophy bass fishing the Ocklawaha river channel with deep crankbaits and Carolina-rigged worms. Early morning and evening topwater action should also be useful along the flats adjacent to the Oklawaha River from Orange Springs to Eureka. Starting in November, a Rodman Reservoir drawdown is scheduled to occur and will refill entirely by March 2020. The reservoir will be 7 feet below the average water level for over three months, starting from November to March, and is prime time for trophy bass fishing.

Temporary opened will be boat ramps at Kenwood Landing, Orange Springs, and Hog Valley, where anglers can launch into the Barge Canal and Oklawaha river channel also on the St Johns River. The Orange Springs ramp is also a popular bank-fishing site. During the drawdown, anglers targeting largemouth bass can expect to experience excellent fishing using a variety of baits around the Oklawaha river channel bends from Kenwood to Cypress Bayou as well as areas in the main pool.

Panfish Angler Tips

Rodman Reservoir black crappie fishing anglers will have success trolling live minnows and jigs along the edges of the Barge Canal leading from St Johns River, and the Oklawaha river bends in the Kenwood area pool section.

Bream anglers fishing can expect to catch plenty of fish species of stocky redbreast sunfish, warmouth between Orange Springs, Cypress Bayou using worms and grass shrimp to get the best results. During the drawdown, bass anglers should be aware of the temporary catch and release regulation change. During the drawdown, to prevent boating accidents, boaters are asked to watch their wake and be courteous to anglers fishing along the Barge canal, channels, and dam including the river.

*Special note: Look out for floating logs on Rodman Reservoir, including the river channel. Use caution when boating in the Oklawaha river channel, stump fields, and floating vegetation the pool section can be dangerous.

Largemouth bass anglers should keep an eye out for tagged fish worth $5 or $50. The tags are orange spaghetti-like tags attached adjacent to the dorsal fin. When a fish tagged is caught, anglers can cut the tag and send it to the address printed on the tag’s side to claim their reward in Florida.

About Rodman Reservoir

Created in 1968, the Rodman Reservoir built the earthen dam across the Ocklawaha River, leading to the St Johns River. A four-gate spillway (Kirkpatrick Dam) controls the water levels of the reservoir. The section of the reservoir from its headwaters at Eureka Dam to Paynes Landing consists of flooded woodlands. The transition section from Paynes Landing to Orange Springs consists of flooded standing timber and areas of floating vegetation.

The north central pool section from Orange Springs to Kirkpatrick Dam, including the Oklawaha river channel, consists of floating and submerged vegetation, dead standing timber, and submerged and partially submerged trees and stumps. The Florida Barge Canal consists of the Oklawaha river channel which has water depths up to 30 feet deep. Submersed vegetation, hydrilla, coontail, and eelgrass, is typical in the reservoir pool area section. Drawdowns are conducted every three to four years on the Rodman for aquatic plant control and fish and wildlife habitat enhancement.

The Environmentalists in Florida are trying to restore the Oklawaha River System to its original state before Rodman Reservoir. This would not only be a tragedy, but it would destroy a habitat in which a large number of plants and wildlife now call home. The fish population in this Ocklawaha backcountry would be no more, and we would lose at times the best big bass lake in Florida and the US.

Hopefully, this whole restoration project will never come to pass by these crazy left-wing activists. If you have ever thought about coming down to fish in Rodman Reservoir for that trophy bass that you have always dreamed about, don’t hesitate any longer. Contact us here at www.BassOnline.com to help provide you with a safe, reliable, and professional fishing trip.