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RODMAN RESERVOIR *The 2007 -2008 Scheduled Drawdown for Rodman Reservoir* I'm excited about this year's big bass season mostly for one reason, that is the scheduled drawdown for Rodman Reservoir. For those of us who love to catch monster bass, a drawdown in one of the best mega bass breeding grounds means lots of opportunities to catch bass 8 pounds and up into the double-digit trophies. During this drawdown, the state will be lowering the water 7 feet to 11 feet from the normal water level of 18 feet NGVD which will dewater about 50% of the lake. What this does is concentrate the fish into the deeper areas of the lake. Three years ago during the last drawdown we were catching anywhere from 20 to 60 bass a day and most every day we had multiple fish over 8lbs. These are NOT fish weighed using the jiggle method either, all put on a digital scale and spring scale. That drawdown was after a huge fish kill due to the multiple hurricanes we had that year. The fish kill took out a large amount of huge fish 13 pounds plus that were shocked up by Fish and Game just that spring. Now all of these fish have had 3 years to get bigger and fatter. There were a lot of fish caught this past winter and spring in Rodman weighing in at over 10lbs and a few in the teenage range. What does this mean for those of you who are in search for the 10 pounder, lots of opportunities each day on the lake this winter. I can't tell you how much I enjoy fishing this particular body of water. Every time you get a hit, it could be the next state record. It is an exciting place to fish, and for those of you who I have taken up there, you know what I am talking about. The average fish at Rodman Reservoir is bigger and fatter than the average fish at any other fishing location in the state. The temporary ramp built for the drawdown should be ready for boats when the Reservoir is at full draw which is scheduled for the 15th of December. The drawdown will continue on until March 1st and then they will begin to raise the water level back to normal pool. So there you have it, from December 15th to March 3rd or 4th you have an opportunity to put yourselves in a situation where you should have multiple chances each day to catch that trophy bass of a lifetime. I know all of the best locations when the water is low. If you aren't excited yet about this then you just aren't going to get excited! If you have any questions about it or would like to call and talk a little about the upcoming drawdown, pick up the phone and give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you.
Rodman Reservoir is legendary for the number of
trophy bass it has produced over the years ever since it was created.
It is consistently ranked in popular fishing magazines as one of the top
ten best bass lakes in the country. Rodman's waters,
Just recently, a
bass caught in Rodman gave the Official State record a scare. The
fish weighed in at 17.2 lbs. and had a length of
29.75 inches coming up just short of the record fish weighing in at
17.27 pounds. Now that is one big fish! I believe that
Right now the Environmentalists are trying to restore the Ocklawaha River System to its original state before Rodman Reservoir was created. This would not only be a tragedy, but it would destroy a habitat in which a large amount of plants and wildlife now call home. The big bass population in this Ocklawaha backcountry would be no more and we would lose one of the best big bass lakes in the US. Hopefully, this whole restoration project will never come to pass. If you have ever thought about coming down to fish in Rodman Reservoir for that trophy largemouth that you have always dreamed about, don't hesitate any longer. Give us a call here at Fish Orlando Pro Guide Services and book your trip now.
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located
southwest of Palatka, cover approximately 9600 acres. It is about
15 miles long almost 2 miles wide near the dam. It is
a sunken floodplain forest which was created and partially cleared to
create the Cross Florida Barge Canal which was never completed.
The Reservoir is a complex ecosystem that supports a large variety of
plants and animals. It is filled with stumps, trees, and a large
amount of vegetation which makes for some great cover for these big
largemouth bass. You can count on fishing under floating cover on
a trip to this area. There are a lot of 'dollar weeds' and water
hyacinths here where bass use to surprise unsuspecting prey. You also
will be fishing around eel grass, hydrilla, lily pads. Rodman Reservoir and the Ocklawaha River is
always a treat to fish. It is a beautiful waterway that produces
big fish each and every year.
the
new world record will come out of either Rodman or possibly Lake Toho
down in Kissimmee which is also known for its trophy largemouth.
Multiple day fishing trips booked for Rodman Reservoir and the Ocklawaha
Backcountry are generally live bait fishing trips where we use wild
river shiners. However, artificial fishing can also be
incorporated into the trip. 
