Craft Access
✗
Motorboat ✓
Kayak / Canoe ✗
Jet Ski / PWC ✗
Large 22ft+ Site Details
Conditions change rapidly due to water levels, prop wash, and weather. Always visually inspect before backing down.
RampSmall beach area and a ramp (county description), lanes
Water DepthNot published. No agency states a depth here; the county describes launching from a small beach area, a ramp or a stationary dock into the Braden River.
DockStationary dock alongside the beach launch. FWC records DockType "Unknown." · ADA
Trailer ParkingLimited / unposted
Crowding This shares a parking lot with the county's only public ramp on the reservoir, and the Outpost rents kayaks from the same beach, so the launch itself rarely queues but the lot can. It is not gate-controlled the way the boat ramp is — it simply closes when the preserve does, at sunset. Paddlers who want the quiet water get it by going early, before the trailers arrive and before the tour boat runs.
Plan B — if this lot is full If the beach launch is busy, the stationary dock a few feet away works for a kayak, and the Outpost rents boats on site if you did not bring one. Manatee County's Paddle Manatee guide lists other freshwater launches in the county if you want a different water — but understand you cannot paddle from here to any of them, because the dam does not pass vessels.
FeeNo fee published for hand launching
HoursSunrise to sunset, daily
SeasonOpen year-round
PierYes
StaffedNo — concession on site, hours vary
AccessibilityManatee County calls this a "Canoe/kayak launch (handicap accessible)" — its own words, and the strongest accessibility statement in the preserve's paperwork. FWC's row is "Unknown" throughout. Call (941) 748-4501.
Not Available Fish cleaning
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
Beach, Ramp or Dock
Launch from the small beach, the ramp or the stationary dock into the Braden River — thirty-odd yards from the trailer ramp, sharing the same parking, restrooms and pier. The county treats Jiggs Landing as a Braden River Trail launch point onto the Evers Reservoir.
Free to Paddle
No hand-launch fee during preserve hours on any county page. The $30 Gate Access Card governs after-hours boat-ramp access, not paddling. Outpost kayak rentals are a separate commercial charge with no published rate card — call (941) 727-4181.
Freshwater License Here
An easy rule to invert, because the tidal reach is north and downstream at once. Per the county: saltwater license north of the dam, Florida freshwater license (ages 16 and older) south — upstream — of it. Jiggs Landing is upstream, so freshwater is the one you need.
Upstream Only
About six miles of paddleable backwater run upstream before the Braden narrows to its free-flowing channel. Downstream is the dam, and the county forbids portaging it. One upside of the wall: no red tide above the weir.
Handicap Accessible
The county's own department page lists this launch as handicap accessible — the strongest accessibility statement in the preserve's paperwork. Whether the restrooms are accessible is unpublished; call (941) 748-4501 if that decides your trip.
Manatee County Jiggs Landing Preserve page, Manatee County Natural Resources department page for Jiggs Landing, and the Manatee County Paddle Manatee canoe and kayak guide; FWC Florida Boat Ramp Inventory layer 4 row MA00007AA; USGS WRI 98-4251; SWFWMD water shortage extension release, 23 June 2026. County preserve page and SWFWMD release fetched 2026-07-31.
About This Lake
Ward Lake →