John Kumiski with a nice-sized bass caught while kayak fishing on the Ocklawaha River.
August 06, 2025
By John Kumiski
The cast was perfect—almost. Although the lure landed where I wanted it to, it, and thus the line, had flown over a small, leafless branch on the way to its target. Fishing being fishing, a fish hit the worm almost immediately. Moments later an unfortunate bass was doing a yo-yo imitation, swinging through the air as I tried to free the line. Drifting close to the branch, I was able to pull the line off. Mr. Bass fell back into the water, and moments later I was releasing the fish, who was no doubt was wondering, “What the heck just happened to me?”
About the Ocklawaha River The Ocklawaha River rises in the Harris Chain of Lakes and the Green Swamp. It comes out of Lake Griffin, winds north through the Ocala National Forest, and 74 miles later joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. The Ocklawaha drains 2,800 square miles of wetlands and plant, animal, and human habitat. Some folks say it’s the most scenic river in Florida. I wouldn’t argue the point. Important tributaries of the Ocklawaha include Silver River, Dead River, and Orange Creek. There are many smaller creeks that add their water (and tannins and organic sediment) to the flow. The most obvious human structure on the river is the Kirkpatrick Dam, near Rodman, behind which is the well-known Rodman Reservoir. There’s another smaller structure well upstream at Moss Bluff, the Moss Bluff Lock and Dam. Both upstream and downstream of this dam, a roughly five-mile stretch, the river has been channelized. This is not the scenic part of the river.
Kayak Fishing Special The June issue of Florida Sportsman magazine featured the Kayak Fishing Special, a series of tactical and gear-related articles to help you maximize your success with your new fishing kayak. Also in the series:
Paul McGinnis shares the Ocklawaha River with nearby turtles. Downstream from Moss Bluff, by the time the stream reaches the Sharpes Ferry bridge, the channelization is finished. You can’t launch a boat here, though—the next put-in downstream is at Ray Wayside Park. Paul McGinnis and I recently launched our kayaks here to see and experience the river for ourselves.
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We found it lovely. Large cypress, oaks, sabal palms, and red maples line the river banks (and the river bottom!). Spider lilies peek out from among the riverside ferns. I caught the bass described in the opening paragraph here. Paul had an ultralight spin outfit and with a small jig just slew the panfish—redbellies, the occasional bluegill, a warmouth or two, and a boatful of stumpknockers. I got sunfish with the fly rod, but nowhere near as many as Paul got. On the positive side, I seldom hung up. Hanging up is the cost of using subsurface lures here, with all that lumber in the water. The wood also makes boat navigation interesting.
Due to the influx of Silver River water, the water was clear. I was surprised how deep it was. This is not a place where you’re going to do much wading. Birds observed included eagles, ospreys, ibis, herons, kingfishers, and more. We didn’t see but certainly heard lots of woodpeckers, owls, and limpkins. Reptiles included various turtle species and the ubiquitous alligator.
Recreation on the River Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission research scientist Chris Anderson says the Ocklawaha is his favorite Florida river, and the run from Ray Wayside Park to Gores Landing is his favorite stretch. He does electroshocking studies here, and says that the numbers of fish here, especially stumpknockers, is the highest by far of any of the rivers on which he works. Other fish species of interest include Florida bass, white and bullhead catfish, gar and bowfin.
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Paul and I spent a night at Gores Landing, serenaded by barred owls and limpkins, then paddled down to the Eureka West ramp, for a total of 18 miles. It’s about another eight miles downstream from here where the river really starts to widen as a result of the dam. I made a separate solo trip to fish the reservoir, camping at the Rodman Campground. I launched my kayak at the campground boat ramp. When Chris heard where I’d fished (the northeast corner of the lake), he said that, with the exception of the edge of the water lilies along the canal, that was one of the less-productive parts of the reservoir. My results bear him out! I got about a dozen bass in almost seven hours using rigged worms of various configurations, with the largest being three or four pounds.
Chris said the best place for big bass in the reservoir in the vicinity of the dam is along the edges of the water lilies along the canal, close to where it enters the lake. Live shiners allowed to swim here, or slow-trolling along the edge of the water lilies, will do the trick. Chris also said that, this being a river, water levels matter a lot. There’s a USGS gauge in the river at Conner, Florida. If that gauge reads above 4.24 feet, the river goes over its banks. The fish all get back in the woods. When it comes to fishing rivers, low water is nearly always better.
Lastly, Chris said the best place for a paddler to connect with a big Ocklawaha bass is in the old river channel below the dam. If a paddler doesn’t want to deal with motorboat traffic, there are little used braids in this stretch that an adventurous paddler can explore. It’s five miles from the put-in at the dam to SR 19, where there’s a take-out, and another four miles to the St. Johns River.
Paddling for its own sake on the Ocklawaha is popular enough that the folks running the Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost make their living renting boats and running guided trips. While Paul and I were out, we did not see any other kayakers. But we did see five boats of canoe racers, practicing. We did not see many motor vessels. All the fallen trees in the water discourage motor vessel operation here. You certainly couldn’t go fast! Paddlers can camp on any of the high banks (except the posted ones) between Ray Wayside Park and Eureka Park, and there’s an official campground at Gores Landing. It even has a flush toilet! Warning: The owls hooting may cause loss of sleep.
A shady, cool stretch of Central Florida river paradise. Some Ocklawaha History The Ocklawaha has a long history of human use. Prior to Columbus, the original Floridians used the river as part of the liquid “highway system” they used to get around Florida.
White settlers used the river to access settlement sites, and to move goods and supplies. After the Civil War, Hubbard L. Hart started a steamship line on the river. According to David Cook of the Ocala Star-Banner, “They [the steamboats] were small and narrow, just right to navigate the twists and turns of the river as it snaked its way through what later became the Ocala National Forest. The paddle wheel was recessed at the rear. Those first boats following the Civil War in the 1870s were crude affairs. They did not inspire any feeling of safety and security in the tourists who crowded aboard to experience the wonders of a wild, unknown water world.”
Men aboard these boats would shoot at alligators and other animals from the decks, just for the “fun” of it. The steamboats, in addition to paying passengers, also moved freight up and down the river. The steamboats enjoyed a monopoly on this business until after 1900, when railroad lines became the cheapest way to move freight. The steamships struggled financially for a few years, and then they were finally “abandoned at Palatka and their bones were left to bleach and rot in the water.”
In 1964 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began constructing the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Several environmental groups opposed construction of the canal because it would have destroyed much of the Ocklawaha River and badly damaged central Florida’s springs. The canal project was to comprise a series of canals and pools across central Florida. Several of these pools would be flooded portions of the Ocklawaha River. The Rodman Pool is the only one of these artificial water bodies to have been created on the Ocklawaha. It has existed since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Kirkpatrick Dam to impound the river in 1968. Creating the pool destroyed 9,200 acres of floodplain and forest.
In 1971, President Nixon halted construction of the barge canal. However, stopping the canal did not end its status as a congressionally authorized project or permit restoration of the now impounded Ocklawaha River. Portions of the river upstream of the reservoir were designated as an aquatic preserve in 1988. Today there are factions who want the dam to stay as is, and other factions who want the dam removed and the river restored to a free-flowing state.
An Ocklawaha River egret. Environmental Issues Facing the River The Ocklawaha faces the same types of problems facing all Florida waterways: uncontrolled development. It’s been physically modified and harbors good numbers of exotic plant and fish species. The physical modifications have substantially altered the river’s flow. Nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) from towns located on the Harris Chain find their way into the river, which, in spite of this, enjoys water quality that ranges from fair to good. Chris Anderson, referred to above, says in the 10 years he’s been working on the river, the water quality and fisheries have been remarkably stable.
The dam is an environmental problem attended by many years of discussion among Floridians. It helps that the river runs through a national forest and has been designated as an aquatic preserve. There’s minimal development along the river, and what’s not already developed is likely to stay that way. Give me the trees, baby!
Beautiful, untamed, altered, fish-filled, historical, and controversial, the Ocklawaha is a fascinating and complex river. Those who love wild fish and the places they live will enjoy a visit here, whether for a day or a more extended time period. Perhaps, like Chris Anderson, it will become your favorite river, too.
Ocklawaha River Access In order to enjoy the river, you need to access it. Here are the access points:
Moss Bluff North Park, 16298 SE 95th Street Rd, Ocklawaha, FL 32179 Ray Wayside Park, 9564 NE 28th Ln, Silver Springs, FL 34488 Gore’s Landing, 13800 NE 98th St, Fort McCoy, FL 32134
Eureka West Boat Ramp, 15395 NE 154th St, Fort McCoy, FL 32134 Kirkpatrick Dam Kayak Launch, Palatka, FL 32177 Johnson Field Boat Ramp, 2315 FL-19, Fort McCoy, FL 32134 There are also several boat ramps on Rodman Reservoir. Motor vessels can also access the lower Ocklawaha from its confluence with the St. Johns River.
This article was featured in the video June 2025 issue of Florida Sportsman Magazine. Click to subscribe .
