Kayaking on TV ponds
 

Are there any ponds, in The Villages that you can kayak on (for fishing)?

Gators are everywhere in Florida.

A few years back, I asked that question at Everglades Rec. and was told no, it was not allowed. Try Lake Miona. There is a launch there.

On the south west side of Lake Deaton is a boat ramp to launch all types of fishing boats including kayaks. And at Lake Okahumpka park about a mile away is another boat ramp.

Lake Miona is the best lake around here. Lake Okahumpka is too tough to paddle through with all the grass. Lake Deaton is so so. Witchlacoochie River is good.

They are building a kayak launch ramp at the Lake Okahumpka rec center, Village of St. John’s. Should be open soon.

Just make sure you do not fall in. Some hungry wildlife might think dinner has been served.

Be wary of gators. When I lived in Altamonte Springs, a much more urban area than the Villages, there was a large pond nearby that had a large resident gator.

Any pond you can access from the road not crossing over private property can be fished and kayaked on.

Lake Griffin is a short ride south of TV, Lake Griffin Park has great boat access, including for kayaks. $5 per car.

You are surrounded by dozens of beautiful and navigable rivers and streams within short drives. Buy a directory and check them out. One of the best is Silver Springs State Park, which has rentable kayaks and six miles of downstream paddling on pristine Silver Spring to Ray's Landing. Not enough, join the Villages Canoe and Kayak Club.
Regarding alligators: Very over-rated threat. Try to get close to one.

Source of your information ?
 

Please name your source for this information. I agree with your statement on the fishing from public access areas, but disagree (it’s not allowed)with bringing your Kayaks to launch from there as well.

If you are correct, I’d be the first to launch my kayak in a pond.

Check out paddling.com/paddle/locations. It is a map of all kayak sites.

Stats
 

People getting killed by alligators is extremely rare," said Adam Rosenblatt, an assistant professor of biology at the University of North Florida who studies how alligators respond to changing environments.

Between 1999 and 2019, alligators killed 10 people in the southeastern U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In that same time period and in the same area, nearly five times as many people were killed by dogs, and nearly 12 times as many people were killed by lightning, he said.

"A lot of human-alligator conflict occurs when alligators get provoked, both intentionally and unintentionally, or when alligators go after people's pets," Rosenblatt told Live Science. When hungry, alligators might go after people, but those types of situations are "rarer," he said.

Believe the kayaking club uses Griffin Lake. Lake Dora is said to have the best fishing. Both of these are not directly within the villages but no more then 30 minutes away.

Canoe & Kayak Club 3TUX6,7,8@2PMCC
Colony Cottage Recreation
Patricia DeLand patideland@yahoo.com (352) 219-1491
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From the Villages Rec. Dept list of clubs. :ho:

And huge hungry gators (many many)

[QUOTE=Pondboy;2145016]Please name your source for this information. I agree with your statement on the fishing from public access areas, but disagree (it’s not allowed)with bringing your Kayaks to launch from there as well.



:agree::agree:

Please reconsider
 

they are everywhere. Take a vacation. Kayak in safer waters

Wow that one standing at your door is priceless not to mention scary

Door to door sales are getting more aggressive.

Lake Okahumpka is on 44 and is a beautiful park with walking trails, picnic pavilions, and a boat ramp. Free admission.

I grew up with gators, often wading fishing with them. I do not want to play down the danger they pose, but for the most part, they are not aggressive (unless they get used to being fed by humans - DO NOT DO THAT - bad mojo)

They normally would get away from us as fast as they could as soon as they saw us. They are big lazy predators that prefer their meals easy - like small dogs, cats, birds, fish, and turtles. Humans, not so much. I don't recall the exact number, but it is something like 20 people killed by an alligator in Florida in the last 75 years - or something like that.

Don't get me wrong, they can run faster than you can, and they can leap into the air further than you can climb quickly. They can easily kill you. They just don't want to go to all that much trouble.

I seem to recall reading, Humans have only survived because we do not taste good.

Speak for yourself. :BigApplause:

According to a report by the florida fish and wildlife commission, Florida has an average of eight unprovoked alligator bites per year. (FDACS) is the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating alligators.