November / December  2008, Page 2

Rodman's Ramps & Piers

By Bob Andry

Although Rodman has little development around its shoreline the Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) has developed some very nice access points for the public to use to enjoy the reservoir. There are six concrete boat ramps around Rodman and all are free to the public to use except the one at the Rodman campground. A fee of five dollars a day is charged to use the Rodman Campground ramp if you are not camping in the campground. The only advantage gained by paying a fee and using the Rodman Campground ramp is there is a little better security for your vehicle and trailer while you are fishing.

The other ramps are at Kenwood, Orange Springs, Cypress Bayou, Eureka and Hog Valley.

Rodman Campground ramp is a good double ramp that accesses Rodman through a small dredged canal that is dry during drawdowns.  Once you clear the canal it is necessary to work your way across part of the main pool to reach the dredged barge canal. This can be somewhat frustrating because the stumps require that you cross this area at idle speed. OGT has been promising a marked channel from the ramp canal to the barge canal for years, but as yet there are no markers in place. For access to most points around the main pool it is probably easier and cheaper to launch at Kenwood.

Kenwood is by far the most developed of the recreational areas with a boat ramp. We hold our annual bass tournament at Kenwood. Not only can the Kenwood parking lot hold two hundred boat trailer rigs but the inner pool and double boat ramp provide a sheltered launching area. The surrounding park has been developed with two pavilions for picnicking. The largest is about twenty by forty feet and is big enough for a small crowd. There is electricity at Kenwood that can be used by visitors by registering with the OGT in Ocala at 352-236-7143 and reserving the use of the big pavilion. Tall pines shade the area and add to a relaxing, happy place. There are even port-a-pottys. The only thing that Kenwood lacks is fresh water for drinking. You need to remember to bring your drinking water with you when you visit. Kenwood is located in the north side of Rodman about a half mile off CR 315, a short distance from the junction of CR 315 and CR 310. Once you are underway from the inner basin you can turn east for quick access to the main pool or turn west and go into the transitional zone of the reservoir. Kenwood Recreational Area is by far the nicest of the boat ramp parks.

Orange Springs Ramp is a good concrete ramp set in a small park and has good parking. There are no picnic facilities or other amenities. Access to the ramp is via NE 245 Street Road; a few hundred yards north of the Junction of CR 21 and CR 315, on CR 315 in Orange Springs, NE 245 Street Road leaves CR 315 and heads east. Just travel east until you see the sign to the public boat ramp on the left side of the road. You can't go too far because the road dead ends right after the turn to the ramp. Leaving the ramp you will travel a short dredged canal that intersects Orange Creek and then bear right into the reservoir. Orange Springs landing gives easy access to the transitional zone and is the home of Howard's Shiners for you shiner fishermen. Howard normally has some really good shiners for sale, but you must make an appointment with him by calling 352-546-1213 to meet at his tanks in the morning to get your shiners.

Cypress Bayou is way out in the sticks. It gives access to the meadows in the transitional zone and is a favorite for fishermen using shiners for bait. Generally good pennywort beds under which the shiners can be run are near Cypress Bayou. It helps in finding Cypress Bayou if you are a relative of Daniel Boone or at least are a pretty good wilderness scout. About six miles north of Fort McCoy NE 212 Road leaves CR 315 and goes east. Follow NE 212 Road for a little over two miles until it makes a sharp turn to the right. You make a sharp turn to the left onto a dirt road and follow the ruts for about a quarter of a mile. Cypress Bayou ramp is a single concrete ramp that puts you at the beginning of a canal that is about a quarter of a mile long and is often choked with water lettuce. A dredged dike runs parallel to the canal on the south side and has a dirt road on it. Often maps will call this location Payne's Landing. It is my understanding that Payne's Landing is the old steamboat landing at the river end of the road and Cypress Bayou is the area around the ramp. You have to park in the cleared area around the ramp where ever you can find a place. There is no security. The only thing good about Cypress Bayou is its easy access to the central transitional zone.

Eureka's ramps are sometimes in Rodman and sometimes in the Ocklawaha River. Their location is determined by the water level in the reservoir. When the water level is at eighteen feet Rodman starts about a mile north of the Eureka Bridge, but when the level reaches nineteen feet the water backs up enough to include the Eureka ramps in the riverine zone of Rodman. In any event, the Eureka ramps allow access to the southernmost part of the reservoir.

Eureka East is reached by crossing over the high Ocklawaha River bridge from west to east and doubling back to the right on the far side. The single ramp is very steep and parking is so-so. Actually the location is a pretty good place to fish from the bank.

Eureka West is an entirely different kettle of fish. The area around the single ramp has been improved into a lovely little park with picnic tables, good spots for bank fishing, handicapped parking and boardwalks.

The parking lot is adequate for most days, but sometimes on really nice weekends it overflows. Port-a-lets are on site in the parking lot. Eureka West is next to the Canoe Outpost so it is easy to find. Just turn off of CR 316 at the west side of the Ocklawaha River bridge like you were going to go to the Canoe Outpost (sign beside the road) and follow the signs that say "Public Boat Ramp." The only problem with Eureka West is the launch basin itself is shallow. When the river is low and Rodman is below eighteen and a half feet there is only about two feet of water in the basin.

You have to pass Linn's Bait and Tackle to get to Eureka West so everything you need for a great day of picnicking and bank fishing is available here. Located next to the ramp area is a fishing pier with its own parking lot.

Near the pier's parking lot is a picnic pavilion with an elevated location to give a great view of the river below.

When it is too hot to fish in Rodman's pool and it's time to lay back and drown some worms for some catfish or brim, then the riverine zone is a great place to be. The current is weak enough that securing your boat is not too difficult, and the tree lined river edges provide shade.

View of the river from Eureka's picnic pavilion on top of the hill

The Hog Valley Ramp is located in the northwest corner of the Ocala National Forest, a few hundred yards west of NE 160 Avenue Road just north of Hog Valley. About the only thing you can say for the ramp is it is handy for those who live in this area of the forest. The ramp is a good concrete ramp and is not too steep, however, there is almost no parking. Three or four boat trailer rigs can generally find a place to park, but after that parking is a real problem. On weekends the locals like to party at the ramp, so when launching or retrieving your boat you must be careful of kids and sometimes their parents playing in the water.

An old cable ferryboat used to cross the Ocklawaha River between Hog Valley and Orange Springs. Getting to the ferry required crossing swamp, and to accomplish this a dirt roadbed was raised a few feet above the swamp water level. That old roadbed is still there under Rodman's water on both the Hog Valley and the Orange Springs sides of the river. The Hog Valley ramp is beside this old roadbed and during drawdowns a temporary ramp is built at the ferry mooring point on the river channel. Likewise another temporary ramp is built on the Orange Springs side and both spots are great locations for bank fishing during a drawdown as well a places to launch boats.

Below the dam is another boat ramp. Although this ramp allows access to the old river and spillway and not into Rodman, it is worth mentioning because it adds to the overall enjoyment of fishermen and boaters visiting the area. A road that can be seen from Kirkpatrick Dam leads down to the ramp, and parking is on the spillway side of the dam. The ramp is a good concrete double ramp with plenty of parking. A park has been developed around the spillway area with picnic pavilions, tables and bar-b-que fire containers. Nice restroom facilities adjoin the park and ramp parking lot.

A handicapped accessible fishing pier is included in the park. The area is clean and well maintained and you should feel that your boat trailer and vehicle are secure while you are fishing Bank fishing from either side of the spillway or from the fishing piers located on either side of the spillway channel is very popular and often rewarding.

If pressed to recommend a launch ramp, I would be hard pressed to make a decision because each location has something good that can be said about it. In making a decision on which ramp to use you should ask yourself, "What do I want to do and where do I want to do it?" To boat or fish in the riverine zone one should probably launch from Eureka West. The transitional zone can be easily reached from Orange Springs, Hog Valley, Cypress Bayou or Kenwood, however, Kenwood would probably be the most user friendly. The pool and dredged canal can be easily reached from either Kenwood or Rodman Campground ramps, but here again Kenwood would probably work best and it wouldn't cost you five bucks.