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.
RampConcrete; condition unverified since the 2024 storms, 1 lane
Water DepthNot published. No ramp-depth figure appears in county or FWC records, and SWFWMD's minimum-levels report carries lake elevations, not a ramp depth.
DockFWC records DockType "No Docks" — no courtesy or launch dock. Pasco County separately lists a fishing pier at the park; that is a different structure. · ADA
Trailer Parking8 spots · unpaved — fwc records "not paved - grass/loose soil/sand", condition good in the 2009-era inventory
Crowding No crowd to describe while the park is closed. Even open, this is a small, slow site: one lane and eight grass-and-sand trailer spaces on a 200-acre lake where the idle-speed rule and the 16-foot cap keep traffic modest. No county usage data exists, so whether the lot ever filled is unmeasured.
Plan B — if this lot is full While the park is closed, the county's other Dade City-area water access is Withlacoochee River Park, 12449 Withlacoochee Blvd, dawn to dusk, (352) 567-0264 — paddle access only, with a canoe and kayak dock on the river rather than a trailered ramp. For a trailerable freshwater ramp, Moon Lake Park in west Pasco is the county's other "Fresh Water Lakes" park, about 20 miles southwest and a longer drive. Call (813) 929-2760 first.
FeeNo fee — moot while the park is closed
HoursDawn to dusk when open
SeasonYear-round when open; closed indefinitely now
PierYes
AccessibilityFWC rates the site "Low Level of Accessibility" and records one accessible trailer space, two accessible vehicle spaces, RestroomType "No Toilet" and isRestroomAccessible "No." The county's page describes no accessible parking, ramp, pier or restroom. Those FWC attributes are 2009-era and predate the damage that closed the park — a record of what was built, not what is usable now. (813) 929-2760.
Not Available Fish cleaning
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
Closed — Call First
Pasco County has the park posted closed indefinitely for repairs from Hurricanes Milton and Helene, with no reopening date. FWC's inventory still shows the ramp open; the county maintains the site and its notice governs. Call Pasco County Parks at (813) 929-2760 before you hitch up.
Two Names, One Ramp
FWC files this site as "R.H. Pless Park"; Pasco County calls it Middle Lake Park, 18620 Townsend House Road, Dade City. SWFWMD's 2004 report names the same north-shore ramp for Albert H. Pless — so if you are chasing old records for this site, search both names and both initials.
Small Boats, Idle Speed
The ramp takes boats up to 16 feet, per the county, and FWC's Fish Management Area rule holds the entire lake at idle speed. Neither restriction shows in FWC's ramp inventory, so don't size your boat off that record — this is jonboat, canoe and kayak water, and the whole 200-acre pool is yours at idle.
Free, Dawn To Dusk
No fees at this facility, per both the county and FWC. Hours are dawn to dusk per the county — not the 24 hours in FWC's old inventory row. There is no toilet on site and no launch dock; the county lists a fishing pier, which is a different thing.
Fishing During The Closure
FWC still lists Middle Lake as open to fishing; the closure is the park's, and no source says whether the shoreline is reachable while the gate is shut. Two calls settle it: Pasco County Parks at (813) 929-2760 and FWC's South West Regional Office in Lakeland at 863-648-3200.
Pasco County Parks Park Directory and Middle Lake Park page (both read 2026-07-31, the park page twice with different prompts), FWC Fish Management Areas regulations (read 2026-07-31), FWC boat-ramp inventory row PS00025EN, FWC regional-office contact page, and USGS NHDPlus HR / GNIS queries.
About This Lake
Middle Lake →