Hello Folks,  

I hope you had a great 4th of July weekend and you got a chance to enjoy our waterways and maybe do a little fishin’.   

The Johns Lake Wednesday Night Shootout had 14 boats fish last week. The winners were Neil Davis and David Simpson, with three bass that hit the scales at 12.15 lbs. They also had big bass honors with a 4.45-pounder. Congrats to all the anglers who fished in the Shootout.   

The bass fishin’ on The Harris Chain has been good most days, but you need to get on the water at first light.  

The team of Clay Reed and Christian Reed took home the win on The Harris Chain the last weekend of June. They topped the 26-boat field with five bass that hit the scales at 21.89 pounds. This was their second win for the season. The team of Terry Mullis and Kim Mullis took home big bass honors with a 6.29-pounder.   

There has been much debate over the future of Rodman Reservoir in Marion County. There were numerous pleas from Ocala-area fishermen to cancel the $6.25 million in funding for Ocklawaha River Restoration. The plan to restore the Ocklawaha River’s natural water flow would have controversially eliminated the Rodman Reservoir.  

Rodman Reservoir was created after the erection of the Rodman Dam in 1968. The Legislature agreed earlier this month to fund the restoration plan. This was a win for environmentalists who had advocated for years to reopen the dam and restore the Ocklawaha’s primary water tributary, which runs into the St. Johns River, Florida’s longest river.  

Fishermen have long defended the dam, which was renamed the Rodman Kirkpatrick Dam in 1998. Mr. George Kirkpatrick, who represented the region for over 20 years, fought long and hard to preserve the structure.   

Thanks to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who vetoed the legislative funding request that would have essentially destroyed the Rodman Reservoir. A huge thanks also goes out to all those local families and businesses who mobilized to save the reservoir, along with the Putman County Board of Commissioners. There were many fishermen, including professional fishermen who lived near the Rodman Dam, who wanted to save the dam.  

Pros Bernie Schultz and Shaw Grigsby, who live in Gainesville, helped support the saving of Rodman Reservoir. There were many bass fishermen throughout the state of Florida who also didn’t want the reservoir to be destroyed. The Rodman Reservoir is a trophy bass fishery that Putnam County residents say is an integral part of their local economy and way of life.  

I have fished the reservoir, but it was a long time ago. There are a lot of big bass in the reservoir, and you can do real well in the cooler months, fishin’ with shiners. Lots of tournament fishermen still fish the reservoir when tournaments go out of the north end of the St. Johns River.   

I wanted to give a shoutout to Ott Defoe for his win on the Potomac River last week. You might remember Ott won MLF’s tournament on The Harris Chain back in 2021. Ott is a great guy and an excellent fisherman.   

Well, I hope everyone has a great week, and I hope to see you on the water real soon.   

Tip of the week: Full Moon July 10th.  

SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK