Thinking about moving south (North Carolina)...help me please!

[Smokinal]

Ok, so my wife, in-laws and I have been joking for a couple of years now about selling our houses and moving to North Carolina. None of us would miss the winters up here and I have lived in Virginia before and love that area. Well, recently she has been sending me links to houses in NC! What my fear is, is that the fishing won't be as good there as it is up here. Forgive me if I'm being ignorant but I just don't know. No e-brag here but a slow day for me on my home lake is 20 bass in about 5 hrs. My buddy and I typically catch 30-35 each in 5 hours on a Sunday morning and had 2 days last year where we caught 168 one day and 189 2 weeks later, both in about 8 hrs each day. I know those are extremely rare days but, again, I can catch 20-30 on any average day.

So, where in NC would you live? What are some good bass waters there and are those numbers out of the question there? We were looking at Valdese, Cary, Matthews, Garner...I don't know...we want a small town and I want water nearby.

Oh, and I love my in-laws so I'd be happy to have them in an in-law apartment style house with us.

Thanks for any help!

 

[buzzed bait]

i grew up in western NC and lived in charlotte for about 10 years before i moved down to atlanta 3 years ago.  NC is home, i love it and i'd go back tomorrow.... but my wife grew up here in GA and has a stellar job, which is why we moved back down here 3 years ago...  i can't speak for a lot of places east of  charlotte, but i know there's some good fishing that way.  i always fished on lake norman, but it's a big lake with sparse cover and not the numbers you're talking about.  but there's high rock lake, lake badin, falls lake, jordan lake and shearon harris all around the raleigh area.  all of which are highly regarded bass lakes.  then you've got kerr and gaston on the north end/virginia border which are supposedly phenomenal fisheries.

so i'd say you can find a good spot with good fishing and north carolina is a FANTASTIC place to live, but i may be slightly bias!! 

[HookdUP]

I'd say the bass fishing in most places in n.c. Would be better quality wise and close to those number under the right conditions . You can also fish 365 in nc ... And much better variety of saltwater species at your disposal as well to dabble in if interested 

[Raul]

What a waste of resources and energy, dang, if you are going to move south make it the REAL SOUTH !  Something like SC, Georgia, Florida or Texas, not NC, it even has NORTH written on it.

[Darren.]

Virginia is the place to be!  

I've got relatives in NC, mountain area to the west.
Trout fishing is the best they can do.

I kid, there's plenty of good fishing there. I plan on
hitting lake Gaston this summer.

[lo n slo]

4 hours ago, Smokinal said:

Ok, so my wife, in-laws and I have been joking for a couple of years now about selling our houses and moving to North Carolina. None of us would miss the winters up here and I have lived in Virginia before and love that area. Well, recently she has been sending me links to houses in NC! What my fear is, is that the fishing won't be as good there as it is up here. Forgive me if I'm being ignorant but I just don't know. No e-brag here but a slow day for me on my home lake is 20 bass in about 5 hrs. My buddy and I typically catch 30-35 each in 5 hours on a Sunday morning and had 2 days last year where we caught 168 one day and 189 2 weeks later, both in about 8 hrs each day. I know those are extremely rare days but, again, I can catch 20-30 on any average day.

So, where in NC would you live? What are some good bass waters there and are those numbers out of the question there? We were looking at Valdese, Cary, Matthews, Garner...I don't know...we want a small town and I want water nearby.

Oh, and I love my in-laws so I'd be happy to have them in an in-law apartment style house with us.

Thanks for any help!

 

Valdese is close to lakes Rhodhiss, Hickory, James, Kerr Scott

Matthews - Wylie (NC/SC), Norman, High Rock, Badin, Tillery

Garner and Cary - Shearon Harris, Jordan, Falls of the Neuse, Randleman, Gaston, Kerr /Buggs Island (NC/VA).  Garner isnt that far from High Rock, Badin as well. This would be your location for some of the best bass fishing. My 2 cents. Welcome to our state.

[buzzed bait]

11 hours ago, Raul said:

What a waste of resources and energy, dang, if you are going to move south make it the REAL SOUTH !  Something like SC, Georgia, Florida or Texas, not NC, it even has NORTH written on it.

that made me laugh Raul!  Truly enough, there's a lot of "transplants" in NC because of the fact that jobs have been booming there for a while. i knew lots of people from ohio when i was in Charlotte.

 

but like hookdup said, it's 365 days of fishing down here man!  on the unlikely chance that we get any snow, just the thought of snow, everything shuts down and people freak out.  coming from that far north, you'd be out in shorts and t shirt in december!

11 hours ago, Darren. said:

Virginia is the place to be!  

I've got relatives in NC, mountain area to the west.
Trout fishing is the best they can do.

I kid, there's plenty of good fishing there. I plan on
hitting lake Gaston this summer.

though it's no monster, my PB is from western NC!  and before they totally jacked up the lake to make some "dam improvements" i was certain my DD was going to come from that lake.....

and no doubt the trout fishing is top notch in some areas.

[spartyon8]

I just moved this year from Illinois to Western NC. I love it! Fishing, was summed up perfectly in this area by Buzzed Bait. I am still getting used to the warmer summer water temps but overall, I enjoy the fishing here. Some lakes, such as Belews, are power plant lakes that are clear down to 20' at times and can be difficult. Not to mention, Belews can see water temps in the 90s during the summer and stays in the 60s/70s. That is a tricky lake but fun to dissect.

[Senko lover]

DUDE. NC rocks. All the tournaments in the lakes around me right now are being won with 30 pound bags. And I don't even live near the good lakes in NC. I love this state so much.

[IndianaFinesse]

38 minutes ago, Senko lover said:

DUDE. NC rocks. All the tournaments in the lakes around me right now are being won with 30 pound bags. And I don't even live near the good lakes in NC. I love this state so much.

I wish indiana was like that. The tournament's around here are usually won with only eleven or twelve pounds.  I can only dream about a thirty pound bag, and I have never heard of one being caught in indy. 

[curtis9]

Shearon Harris was my favorite lake in the area.  The slot limit produces a lot of big bass, and the lake is small enough compared to Jordan that it keeps the jet skiers away.  You also have the eastern NC rivers which open up a ton of area and the albemarle sound. 

[curtis9]

In you want a small town in those areas, check out Fuquay-Varina.  Close to everything, but you can get a decent sized lot for a reasonable price

[Senko lover]

11 hours ago, curtis9 said:

Shearon Harris was my favorite lake in the area.  The slot limit produces a lot of big bass, and the lake is small enough compared to Jordan that it keeps the jet skiers away.  You also have the eastern NC rivers which open up a ton of area and the albemarle sound. 

Yeah Harris is the big bass factory around me. It's a power plant lake and so there's a lot of crap in the water. So people don't take the fish and there's tons of 8-10+ pounders in there. Haven't had the chance to experience that for myself yet, unfortunately. But everybody will tell you. There's a ton of potential in Harris. My friend who's a crappie fisherman was reeling in a crappie on Harris and had a 10 pound bass eat it on the way up. Talk about a fun fight lol

[clh121787]

Where ever you move you'll probably never catch 150 and 175 plus bass a few weeks apart. 

[whitwolf]

I'm a life long NC resident. I have lived down east(coastal NC) and fish the swamp areas and had a ball. It's shallow water fishing at Its finest. But coming from Maine the heat and humidity might not be your cup of tea. 

I have fished Falls, Jordan, and Harris(In the Raleigh area) and have nothing but good things to say about each lake.

I have been in the Western part of the state for many years now. There are many options in lakes  Rhodhiss, James, and my personal favorite, Hickory. From the Valdese area It's a short(ish) drive to all three. The climate in this part of the state Is still hot and humid but nothing like Raleigh and points East. 

As for the numbers you're used to I doubt very seriously If you'll have those on a consistent basis and I suspect Lake James will be a lake you might find like the lakes In Maine. It's deep, clear, and can be difficult but there are plenty of nice smallmouth and decent largemouth to be caught. Lake Rhodhiss Is a durn tough lake to figure out. I fish there a lot and have had great days, but It changes so much unless you can fish 3-4 days a week It can be tough. Lake Hickory Is a gem. I would rather fish there than anyother lake In the area. There's something for every type of fisherman. There's good shallow fish, good mid-depth, and good/great deep fish! If you have any questions please ask.

[Smokinal]

Thank you all for the comments, tips and info! I'm not sure if it will ever come around but I do want to know what I'm getting into before we move. I would probably go down for a week vaca, drive around and see some area before we really committed ourselves; I'd need to secure a job anyway.

Btw, went out this morning for 3.5 hrs and I caught 22; my buddy got 18. I'm not sure I'm thinking clearly about this moving thing...

 

 

 

 

 

[Al Wolbach]

5 hours ago, Smokinal said:

Thank you all for the comments, tips and info! I'm not sure if it will ever come around but I do want to know what I'm getting into before we move. I would probably go down for a week vaca, drive around and see some area before we really committed ourselves; I'd need to secure a job anyway.

Btw, went out this morning for 3.5 hrs and I caught 22; my buddy got 18. I'm not sure I'm thinking clearly about this moving thing...

 

 

 

 

 

If you went out this morning wearing all those clothes you need to move south, lol.

[Raul]

5 hours ago, Smokinal said:

Thank you all for the comments, tips and info! I'm not sure if it will ever come around but I do want to know what I'm getting into before we move. I would probably go down for a week vaca, drive around and see some area before we really committed ourselves; I'd need to secure a job anyway.

Btw, went out this morning for 3.5 hrs and I caught 22; my buddy got 18. I'm not sure I'm thinking clearly about this moving thing...

 

 

 

 

 

They don´t get this size where you´re at :

Now, if it were me moving I would seriously think about moving "south", then I would end up in Guatemala and who wants to move to a s*t third world country like that, Mexico may be 3rd world but it´s the 1st world of the 3rd world.

[Red Bear]

Some good recommendations above, and theres some good bass fishing in NC, but youre not likely to see those numbers you posted daily. But you are likely to catch more bass bigger than youre used to. There is more double digit potential in NC too, compared to Maine. NC is small town central, with bigger cities surrounding them. I grew up in the Halifax County/Warren County area down there. I've fished Gaston and Kerr/Buggs Island for the bigger lakes. Gaston more so, I love Gaston. Where i grew up though, there were several lakes all within a 2 hour or less drive. Gaston being the closest about 30 minutes away. Plus theres a little town called Weldon, striped bass capitol of the US, or atleast the east coast if im not mistaken. they come up the Roanoke River there. Plus there is some great catfishing, big bluegill, and some good crappie fishing too. Small creeks can be very productive as well. Great early spring fishing too. I just caught my PB down in NC back in March, from a pond. Did i mention there are lots of ponds, and people are nice enough to let you fish them. Also, theres lots of ponds you can just go to, like its abandoned land, and unposted. Like small rugged dirt road leading to a pond, and nothing else around but woods...

 

[Smokinal]

9 hours ago, Al Wolbach said:

If you went out this morning wearing all those clothes you need to move south, lol.

lol   Ya, it was cold out there! Water was 42-46 depending on what part of the lake we were in. We spent most of our time in this cove where the inlet comes in and water was 46 in there; main lake was 42. Air was right at about 32 that morning. I'll tell you what, the older I get, the less I'd miss the winters here.

[Jd_Phillips_Fishin]

On 4/15/2016 at 5:02 PM, Senko lover said:

DUDE. NC rocks. All the tournaments in the lakes around me right now are being won with 30 pound bags. And I don't even live near the good lakes in NC. I love this state so much.

Yeah, you do. You have Falls and Harris. I have Norman and Wylie. Falls and Harris often have 7lbs plus size fish being pulled out of there. Norman is good for big quantity but its rare to break the 11lb mark.

[spsmith713]

Harris is my home lake, live about 7 miles from there.  Just to give you a brief overview of the current situation in NC is simply crazy.  We moved to the town we live in back in 2005.  In 2005 the population was 10,000...it's now 33,000 and they're expecting it to be 50,000 in 3-5 years.  The town is looking at approximately 5,600-6,000 houses to be built in the next 3-5 years.  

Houses in the 200-275k range are selling in hours with multiple offers.  I know a local realtor and he says he tells his clients to be prepared to buy a house sight unseen, sounds crazy but it's true.  We've had friends that lost out on houses on the drive to go see them.  Our friends sold their house for $10k over asking by a couple that saw it online.  

We love it here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but the area is going through major growing pains, with the most apparent thing being traffic.  As you can imagine, with the swiftness of the growth & govt bureaucracy there hasn't been the ability to keep the roads up.  Commute times are increasing exponentially and it doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  

Good luck with whatever you decide, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Gotfishyfingers?]

Charlotte, NC rocks! Check out the Huntersville area. Lake Norman is right around the corner also.

[Last_Cast]

Tired of pushing snow? I'm not 

Nothing gives me more pleasure

[bigbill]

The misses mentioned Arizona or Nevada to me. I'm thinking lake Meade.

With all this rain in the northeast it's great for ducks.