Rodman Reservoir Attacked ---- Again

Rodman produces some of Florida's biggest bass, but it is a valuable resource for many other reasons.

Anti-fishing zealots have devised a new assault in their never-ending quest to destroy one of Florida’s best bass fisheries. This time they’re using the federal Endangered Species Act.

Those anglers who participated in the April 21 Save Rodman Open Fishing Tournament will help send a right-back-at-you volley across the bow of Florida Defenders of the Environment, Florida Wildlife Federation and Earthjustice.

And you can help too, by making a donation to Save Rodman Reservoir. Go here to learn more.

The tournament is the only fundraiser of the year for Save Rodman Reservoir Inc. (SRR), a small band of volunteers who have served as the guerilla resistance against the power and money of the environmental movement since 1995.

“Rodman Reservoir has been sitting there for 40 years and I can’t, for the life of me, see why any level-headed person would want to get rid of it,” said Ed Taylor, SRR president, who adds that the blind ideology of these groups has been driving him crazy for 17 years.

“What the enviros are hung up on is [the belief] that Rodman is not natural, and so it needs to go,” he said. “But the capitol building in Tallahassee is built in the middle of what used to be woods. It’s not natural either. A lot of things are not natural.”

Read the rest of my B.A.S.S. Times article about Rodman here.

Your Help Needed to Save Florida's Rodman Reservoir

This nearly 13-pound bass caught by guide Sean Rush in January 2011 is an example of what's swimming in Rodman Reservoir.

Go fish.

Specifically, go fish April 21 on Florida’s Rodman Reservoir.

Your participation in that Saturday tournament will help save the world-class bass fishery that environmentalists have been trying to destroy for nearly 20 years. Find out more at Save Rodman Reservoir (SRR).

“Rodman Reservoir has been sitting there for 40 years and I can’t, for the life of me, see why any level-headed person would want to get rid of it,” says Ed Taylor, SRR president.

“What the enviros are hung up on is that Rodman is not natural and so it needs to go,” he says.

 Rodman, built on the Ocklawaha River, is the last remnant of the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canal, which was halted in 1971, when it was only a third complete. It was a bad idea from the start, initiated during a less-enlightened time. 

For the environmentalists, Rodman is a constant reminder of that era, and they want it gone. Period.

They are willingly blind to the fact that this 9,000-acre reservoir is the exception to the rule in our environmental blunders. Despite ourselves, we created a thriving, diverse ecosystem, with a dozen different types of habitat. The St. Johns River Water Management District says 115 bird species live in the Rodman system, compared to 45 along the Ocklawaha River. Seventy-four were observed only at the reservoir.

Also, Rodman is readily available as a water supply source, as Florida cities consider how they will meet demand in the not too distant future.

None of that is important for the environmental zealots, who want what they want and likely see in the Obama administration a chance to get it. They have lots of anti-fishing friends in Washington, D.C., these days, which could facilitate their suit to force the U.S. Forest Service to destroy the dam because --- they allege --- it endangers manatees and shortnose sturgeon.

An example of their political clout occurred back in 2003, when the Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill to ensure the future of Rodman by making it a reserve, and the House followed with 92-26 passage.

“Sixty-five environmental groups opposed it and so Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed it,” Taylor says. “That’s what we’re up against.”

And that’s why your help is needed on April 21. 

Go Fishing to Help Save Rodman Reservoir

The environmentalists are coming after Rodman Reservoir again. For nearly 20 years, they’ve been trying to destroy this world-class bass fishery on Florida’s Ocklawaha River

Even though it is a diverse ecosystem, a wildlife haven, and one of Florida’s most popular destinations for outdoor recreation, they want it gone because it is the last remnant of the Cross-Florida Barge Canal, which was discontinued more than 40 years ago.

I’ll have an in-depth opinion piece about this in the April issue of B.A.S.S. Times. It will include an angler’s call to arms, which I also will issue right here right now.

You can help protect Rodman Reservoir by participating in the 2012 Annual Save Rodman Open Fishing Tournament on April 21. Go here to learn more and to find out the history of Rodman and the fight to save it.

Also, here’s an article in the Orlando Sentinel about this newest attempt to destroy Rodman. I'll warn you that it favors the environmentalists, with a couple of outrageous quotes included that aren't challenged or countered.

And be sure to read my column in the April issue of B.A.S.S. Times. You can subscribe to it by becoming a member of B.A.S.S. It’s a great publication, providing news about fisheries issues such as access and invasive species, as well as how-to articles and tournament coverage

Go Fishing to Help Save Rodman Reservoir

One of the main reasons that I like tournament fishing is that it allows you to help a good cause and have fun at the same time.

On Saturday, April 16, you can help a really good cause and have fun on one of Florida’s best bass fisheries by participating in the 15^th Annual Save Rodman Reservoir (SRR) Open Bass Tournament. For more information, go to Save Rodman Reservoir’s website or call (386) 326-1112.

Don’t own a bass boat? No problem. SRR has a special small-boat category for craft with engines of 50 horsepower or less. But you must have a working livewell system.

Now, why is this such a good cause? SRR is the first line of defense against Rodman’s destruction, and it needs your support to continue protecting this resource from Florida Defenders of the Environment and its political allies.

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Help Save Rodman Reservoir

Join the fun for the 15^th annual Save Rodman Reservoir (SRR) Bass Fishing Tournament April 16 and help save Rodman Reservoir from being destroyed by Florida Defenders of the Environment (FDE) and their political allies.

 No conflict better demonstrates the divide between conservation and preservation than this decades-long battle regarding the fate of this world-class bass fishery and popular destination for camping, wildlife viewing, and other outdoor recreation.

Constructed on the Ocklawaha River during the 1960s, Rodman was part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal project, designed to facilitate navigation from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico without going all the way around Florida.  It was a stupid idea and could have been devastating to the natural beauty and bounty of the Sunshine State.

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