Rodman is an extremely unique man-made body of water that was the product of President John F. Kennedy's go ahead to create a barge canal throughout Florida state in order to allow large barges and ships to avoid having to travel the entire way around the tip of Florida in order to get their themselves from one coast to another. While the idea was not originally President Kennedy's, he did resurrect the solution from an idea that had been previously abandoned resulting in the flooding of a forest that was Rodman then.
Since its initial creation more than 40years ago, Rodman is now a body of water that is alive and well with some of the most incredible fishing opportunities in the United States. Here you can expect to catch a number of bream, bass, catfish, speckled perch and very likely most any freshwater species of fish that the state of Florida has ever seen.
Rodman comes complete with two of its own seasons. There is the high water season and then there is the draw down season. The draw down season begins in December and lasts through the month of March one time every three years. Draw down occurs when the authorities in control of Radman;s water level procees to drain the canal until the new water level is anywhere from 7 to 9 feet shallower than it is usually maintained at. This is done in the hopes of killing some of the overgrown weeds and grasses off that do nothing but get in the way of the lives of other animals in the habitat. Once the water has been drawn down however, the fish inhabiting area now have significantly less area to travel and become somewhat concentrated. You can see how this side-effect can attract anglers from all over.
Fishing at Rodman is a perfect location for anglers both young and old as they have an opportunity to experience one of the best fishing locations they will ever see. All you need to bring with you is a steady supply of crickets, minnows and worms and you will be reeling in plenty of bass, specks, catfish and bream before you even know it.
Rodman is located just outside of Jacksonville. Take US 17 south in order to reach 19 west. From there, make your way to 315 west. Kenwood Boat Ramp will be on your left after traveling about a half a mile down 315. In total, the trip from Jacksonville is a very reasonable trek of 75 miles.
