Has anyone heard of this??? My friend called said it has started, he can’t find it again. They were letting it down for the last time before tear down.  The Ocklawaha was going to start running on its  own accord. 
They have been talking about shutting down Rodman dam for years but I never thought it was going to happen. 
Anybody know what’s going on?

I haven’t heard that but I sure hope not!

 

That place has been the most underrated big Bass lake in the entire country for years!
We know about it because we live here but nobody else does. 
 

Other than the Big O and maybe Toho who gets all the press, I’d bet more 5lb-8lb Bass have been caught there over the years than anywhere else. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

I thought the governor signed a law to save Rodman last summer.

 

I was curious and came across this:

https://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/sites-forecasts/ne/rodman-reservoir/

"The reservoir drawdown is scheduled to occur this fall until the spring of 2026. The reservoir will be seven feet below normal water level for over three months from the middle of November 2025 to the beginning of March 2026."

5 hours ago, GRiver said:

Has anyone heard of this??? My friend called said it has started, he can’t find it again. They were letting it down for the last time before tear down.  The Ocklawaha was going to start running on its  own accord. 
They have been talking about shutting down Rodman dam for years but I never thought it was going to happen. 
Anybody know what’s going on?

I’m pretty sure they are just lowering the lake again like they do occasionally. I just read another article yesterday that was trying to convince people to support destruction of the dam is a good thing. The opposition to it was at least 3 to 1 against vrs for.

They would have quit lobbying for more support if it was a done deal.

I hope they don’t change it back. The fishing there and in the Ocklawaha is outstanding.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1YfMWqTBRq/

 

my friend sent me this too….don’t know the extent…or how true it is

 

2 hours ago, GRiver said:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1YfMWqTBRq/

 

my friend sent me this too….don’t know the extent…or how true it is

 

That’s the same one I saw…

11 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

The fishing there and in the Ocklawaha is outstanding.

I have never actually fished Lake Ocklawaha. I fish a lot of the Ocklawaha from below Rodman dam, to the St Johns River. 
   Never really fished the Cross Barge, heard it was hit and miss there, with finding the fish.

I don’t have the electronics, just a 15+ yr old hummingbird, I use for a depth finder.

I really don’t know how the could remove the dam…

As far as I know and has been stated here already, they are not tearing down the dam- yet.

 

There are those who want the dam removed to restore the Ocklawaha river and the springs the more than 20 springs dam has harmed. And there are those who want the dam to stay in place because of economic reasons.

 

Regardless of which side someone is on, the dam itself was never constructed to last this long. It is already past its designed useable life engineers are saying. So this means throwing lots of money into repairs, restorations, and maintenance which is where we are at with it now. The dam is now listed as a "high hazard" for failure due to its age and condition.

 

 

 

But about every 4 years is a drawdown which is where we are at now...

 

Google search:

 

"The Rodman Reservoir is undergoing a drawdown from mid-November 2025 to early March 2026, lowering the water level by seven feet. This is part of a routine, periodic process that occurs every 3 to 5 years to help control invasive aquatic vegetation. During the drawdown, the water is drawn down to expose shallow areas, concentrate fish into deeper channels, and promote new growth.  

Rodman Reservoir drawdown schedule"

 

Water Level: Seven feet below normal

Duration: Approximately four months 

Start Date: Mid-November 2025

End Date: Early March 2026

Purpose of the drawdown

Control overabundant aquatic vegetation

Concentrate fish populations for easier fishing

Expose shallow areas to sunlight and air to kill off undesirable plants

Allow for the growth of new plant life

Reveal submerged trees, springs, and other features" 

 

Florida locals to the dam like to target fishing on the outflow once the water starts flowing and gates are opened up some. It usually takes about 2 days for the fish to move in, but once they do there can be a feeding frenzy at the spillway. Huge bass and stripers all hitting lures like crazy.

 

Everyone waits for the water to start flowing... show up about day 2 or 3 after gates are opened to get in on the fishing action!

 

 

I haven’t fished the lake much either tbh. I lost what I consider the biggest bass I’ve ever hooked in there though.

I’ve fished several sections of the river, and my favorite is immediately south of the dam for a few miles. I love doing bream and catfish trips there. Bass fishing is harder if you aren’t used to a 3 knot current!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Eiw2CkHFu/?mibextid=wwXIfr
 

just got this, it is low at Rodman 

I went to Rodman Reservoir yesterday, they have let alot of water out of it. I really didn’t know of all the trees were in there. The area around the spillway was riddled with standing dead trees. Most of them are under the water surface. It is pretty scary for an outdrive. 
I walked around the out skirts, I figured I would find a ton of lures….. by the tracks out there everyone thought that too.

I didn’t even find one hook, it was pretty scavenged through. There was a lot of wallows or fish beds just outside the channel buy the parks boat ramp….. Wonder where they will move to.

A lot of people were fishing below the spillway for panfish.

All in all I had fun, explored all around….. I didn’t know they had a couple of campgrounds too. Water and power hookups as well. 
I will come back when they have refilled the lake with my boat.