Where should I move to?

[soflabasser]

6 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I'm getting less tolerant of the Michigan winters but one thing I can say, I work outside all day everyday and it's easier to stay warm in the winter than it is to stay cool in the summer. 

 

With that said my flag is staying planted in Michigan....for now. 

 

  The winters of Michigan and other northern states are less than ideal to say the least, but you guys do have good muskie and smallmouth bass fishing which makes it more bearable. As for dealing with the summer heat, its easy, all you have to do is stay hydrated, dress light, seek shade when you feel hot, and fish low light periods such as dawn, dusk, cloudy days, at night,etc. I found that is far easier to deal with the high heat than the bitter cold, but that is me and everyone is different. The heat can't be too bad down here in South Florida since I always see license plates from New York, New Jersey, The Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and California when driving in South Florida.

[Mike L]

Sell or give away everything you don't absolutely want or need and buy a motorhome....

 Go where you want,

When you want,

Stay as long as you want, to do what you want. 

 

Having the ability to chase a sunrise and/or sunset at our leisure was the best decision I ever made. 

 

 

Mike

[moguy1973]

17 minutes ago, Mike L said:

Sell or give away everything you don't absolutely want or need and buy a motorhome....

 Go where you want,

When you want,

Stay as long as you want, to do what you want. 

 

Having the ability to chase a sunrise and/or sunset at our leisure was the best decision I ever made. 

 

 

Mike

Makes it hard to drag a boat around.

[Oregon Native]

20 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Wow everyone wants to move to east TN and the TN river. I guess I was born lucky! I might need to clean out my guest room and put a for rent sign out in the yard....... if any of y'all want to fish the river one day let me know!

As they say here in east Tenn......Howwwwwwww Nicccccccccccce

P.S.  Cool

On 11/21/2017 at 4:34 PM, Further North said:

I would have a hard time moving...but I have no problem with the winters in NW WI.

 

I have, well within 2 hours (most are within a half hour):

1. Smallies on lakes and rivers.
2. Largemouth (nothing like southern monsters).
3. World class musky fishing in lakes and rivers.
4. Big northern pike...and lots of small ones.
5. World class trout fishing (rivals and exceeds what is found out west).
6. Walleyes all over the place, if I ever get really, really boared.
7. Panfish, see above about boredom.
8. Steelhead on "The River of Presidents"
9. Lake Superior gets into the act within that two hours as well if you like lake trout, steelhead, coho, king salmon and lake run browns.

My second passion has always been upland bird hunting, I have, in some cases literally out my back door:

1. Ruffed grouse.
2. Woodcock.
3. Pheasant (not like out west, but 20 bird days happen every year).
4. Bobwhite (not big numbers, but they are here).

I am not a waterfowl hunter, but you can't wade a trout stream around here without flushing all kinds of ducks and you can't swing a long stick most places without hitting a goose or twenty.

 

I am also not a big game hunter, but I could shoot deer without leaving the house, have had black bear in my yard (and a couple heavier than 700 lbs have been killed relatively close by), I have heard that some of Wisconsin's biggest bucks are one county south.

 

XC skiing is great in the winters, as is snowmobiling (trail is on the eastern boundary of our property).  There's more ATV trails around than you could ride in a lifetime (trail is 200 ft. from the western edge of our property), hiking, canoeing opportunities literally all over...cool stuff like waterfalls and easy drive.

 

...I understand why some people couldn't enjoy the winters ,-27° can really get your attention, but it's unlikely we'll leave.

Talk about holding out a piece of candy....sounds awesome....truely does.....Hard water....deal breaker.

[Oregon Native]

12 hours ago, WRB said:

Oregon has good bass fishing, especially River Smallmouth. The 60's era hippies moved north to Oregon and brought their extremely liberal life style with them and adopted save the cold water fish species.

Life is too short to be away from family, enjoy it!

Tom

Oh yes ....the smallie fishing is amazing...truly...and no boats on the water when the wind blows.  To your credit...have loved northern cali too....very much.  But attitudes in Oregon are.............Unique!!!

[Smokinal]

Wow folks! Thank you all for so much information and opinion; all much appreciated! You have given me lots to think about and many ideas. I'll be doing a lot of homework on some of the areas mentioned. We will see what our thoughts are over the next year whether we are serious about making a change like this.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

[Further North]

5 hours ago, Oregon Native said:

Talk about holding out a piece of candy....sounds awesome....truely does.....Hard water....deal breaker.

I get that, I really do.  But I don't mind putting the rod down for a few weeks a year to chase birds.  The dogs kinda like it too...

 

...our open water fishing is usually over by mid-November, sometimes early December.

 

Grouse season opens about September 15th, runs through the end of January.

 

Pheasant season opens about October 15th, runs through the end of December.

 

Trout season opens Jan. 1st.

 

Ice is usually off the lakes by the middle of March, give or take a week or two.

 

I can always find something to do...

16 hours ago, Mike L said:

Sell or give away everything you don't absolutely want or need and buy a motorhome....

 Go where you want,

When you want,

Stay as long as you want, to do what you want. 

 

Having the ability to chase a sunrise and/or sunset at our leisure was the best decision I ever made. 

 

 

Mike

That's a really cool lifestyle for folks who can live that way.  I could never do it, I need more space than that...and I like to be "home".

 

I know a couple who have tried it, they love it, but it seems like it is wearing on them a little.

[Mike L]

The trick I learned is to get one bigger than you think you'd need and remember they have wheels..

It's a lifestyle not for everyone but it does get in the blood. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[the reel ess]

On 11/22/2017 at 1:11 PM, Ruy Lopez said:

Obviously the bass are plentiful in Florida. My question for all you Floridians; doesn't having all those critters (snakes, gators) in and around the ponds and lakes creep you out when fishing; especially if you are fishing from the bank. I'd always be looking around me I have a feeling if I fished in Florida. Maybe I'm just showing my yellow side. 

You don't have to get to FL to encounter those critters. Gators exist from coastal NC all the way around the Gulf. The farther south you get, the farther inland you'll see them. I'm in the Piedmont region of SC and there are a few here.

[Mike L]

I've lived in Fla for 39 yrs and have fished in every kind of lake, pond, river, stream, canal, quarry pit and drainage ditch there are and I'll tell you honestly, as long as you're smart and careful (in that order) you probably won't see anything larger than a squirrel. 

Don't let what you hear or read give you any preconceived or misinformed opinions. 

 

Is is there a risk shuffling through an overgrown wooded area? Sure, but no more so than any other area in the SE.  

 

 

 

 

Mike

[thinkingredneck]

I have lived in OR and my daughter still does.  Very left wing and a bit expensive.  They have some food fishing.  The rain got to me.  But I loved it in the summers.

     Anything south of Carolina and TN will have brutally hot summers with a lot of humidity.  Lots of bugs, reptiles, etc.  I live in MS which is where I am from.  If you could leave out June-Sept, the deep south is great.  Low cost of living, plenty of LMB and other warm water species, good salt fishing, deer hunting from Oct-Feb.  We do 8have a good many yankees already here, and we all get along.  They think buying one of these big old cheap houses is fantastic until they try to stay on top of the verdant growth, insects, mold, mildew and rot.  They are baffled by the right wing politics, religion,  and race relations.  It is as bizarre as Oregon, but the flip side.

     I have lived in OR, WA,  TX, AL, CO, FL, and MS and loved every one of them.  There are no SMB on the Gulf except where they were planted near cold springs.  Good luck.  I would seriously look around Mobile Bay and Northern FL if you can handle the summers.

[Columbia Craw]

Woodland Washington

[bagofdonuts]

The ozarks. Take a vacation to Mtn View, Arkansas. Small town, world class trout fishing nearby, smallmouth, largemouth. To you there is no winter.

[BassNJake]

I'm going to also vote for east TN.

I have within 2 1/2 hours drive, 14 different TVA lakes.

They offer a little bit of everything clear, deep, rocky to shallow and weedy.

They also stock trout in the creeks and streams.

 

I lived in NE Ohio for about 35 years.

The summers near Lake Erie were hot and miserable compared to what I have experienced in East TN.

It's all about the humidity and I believe it is better here than it was near Lake Erie.

 

The biggest surprise in TN was the people, d**n are they friendly here.

I do not miss the traffic, the stop and go on the freeway or the rude people.

Never once have I been inclined to go back there for anything more than a 1 week vacation.

 

 

 

[James Janousek]

Come to Virginia!!! Avoid northern VA (aka NOVA) as the traffic and cost of living is ridiculous.  I'd recommend central to south west VA. You can get multiple acres of land on the cheap and still be within 30-45 mins of Richmond.  

 

Within a couple hour drive you have an unbeatable array of species you can target:

 

James River - Largemouth, Smallmouth, Stripers, Blue Catfish (100+ lbs), Walleye (yep), American and Hickory Shad run in the spring

Like to fly fish? stocked trout streams in the mountains, muskie in the Shenandoah

Inshore fishing - Rappahannock/Piankatank/Chesapeake Bay - redfish, sea trout, striped bass, croaker, cobia! 

Offshore Fishing - Hampton Roads/Va Beach - tuna, marlin, 50 inch red drum, black drum, tilefish, flounder 

A dozen public impoundments with great bass fishing - check out Wayne P.'s posts here on Briery and Sandy Creek near Farmville.  50+ fish in a day with multiples over 5lbs common.  10lbers occasionally.  

Smith Mtn Lake/Lake Gaston/Lake Anna/Lake Chesdin

Plus farm ponds everywhere.

[Choporoz]

3 hours ago, BassNJake said:

I'm going to also vote for east TN.....

The biggest surprise in TN was the people, d**n are they friendly here.

 

That's what sold the wife and I.  Been down a couple/few weekends to check it out....haven't found one person who wasn't friendly...and I've been known to bring out the unfriendly in people at times 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, Choporoz said:

That's what sold the wife and I.  Been down a couple/few weekends to check it out....haven't found one person who wasn't friendly...and I've been known to bring out the unfriendly in people at times 

all we ask in return is let us know when you find a big school of hungry bass!!!!

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 11/29/2017 at 12:36 PM, BassNJake said:

 

I lived in NE Ohio for about 35 years.

The summers near Lake Erie were hot and miserable compared to what I have experienced in East TN.

It's all about the humidity and I believe it is better here than it was near Lake Erie.

 

 

 

Any place in the world is better than Cleveland. The rivers catch fire, the football team sucks, and the only sign of life says "Pittsburgh 133 Miles."  Go Steelers!!!

[BassNJake]

45 minutes ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Any place in the world is better than Cleveland. The rivers catch fire, the football team sucks, and the only sign of life says "Pittsburgh 133 Miles."  Go Steelers!!!

Hahahaha, My wife is a Steelers fan.

When I was growing up I despised the Steelers(because they always killed us) but after they fled to Baltimore I had a new team to "hate"

I don't mind the team now(probably since the Polamalu days)

 

I actually went to the same High School as Jack Lambert.

He came to our school to give us a talk and because the high school kids would not stop talking,

He stormed off the stage and never finished his speech.

Tough guy on the field but couldn't handle 200 kids at an assembly.

 

By the way how did the Pirates finish this year? 

[38 Super Fan]

I like it here in Kentucky, but I've thought about moving down to E. Tenn many times. They've got us beat lake-wise.

[Raul]

I hate cold, only problem is If I want warmer, hell, I’m gonna end up in Brazil ! .... actually I wouldn’t mind moving to Florida or Georgia.

 

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 12/1/2017 at 4:29 PM, BassNJake said:

Hahahaha, My wife is a Steelers fan.

When I was growing up I despised the Steelers(because they always killed us) but after they fled to Baltimore I had a new team to "hate"

I don't mind the team now(probably since the Polamalu days)

 

I actually went to the same High School as Jack Lambert.

He came to our school to give us a talk and because the high school kids would not stop talking,

He stormed off the stage and never finished his speech.

Tough guy on the field but couldn't handle 200 kids at an assembly.

 

By the way how did the Pirates finish this year? 

I've met Jack Lambert a few times. He's a great football player, but can be a real jagoff. He is a WCO with PA Fish and Game the last I heard, though, so don't be fishing without a license. Pirates? Not so great as usual, but hey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Go Pens!

[blongfishing]

Anderson, SC. SC has so many Great Lakes but around Anderson is probably the best area. This area is just miles from Lakes Hartwell, Keowee, Russell, Jocassee, Clarks Hill, Murray, Greenwood and 3-5 other smaller lakes. SC also has Santee Lakes in the lower state as well as amazing lakes in surrounding states.

[Caliyak]

On 11/21/2017 at 9:09 AM, Smokinal said:

So, let's say, hypothetically, my wife and I wanted to move from Maine to ??? after our second son moves out. Where would you choose where the temps don't get too hot, nor too cold and the bass fishing (smallies or Larries) is great. We are both a little tired of the winters here but wouldn't want Florida either. Most importantly though, the fishing in the area must be good with lot's of water options. I know I'm asking a lot and I also know I'm very spoiled here as the fishing is phenomenal and there are lakes/ponds in every single town; just thinking.

And we would prefer the small-town feel as well. We live in a town with around 22,000 and most surrounding towns are smaller than that.

Am I dreaming here?

 

My 2 cents: You and your wife need to take a trip to Ukiah Ca. Fly into SF and head north on hwy 101. You get small town feel, mountains, Clear Lake pigs, trout, smallies, wine country and the Pacific is a short drive to Fort Bragg and Mendocino. It might be pricey but you will not get the heavy winters and humid summers. Google Ukiah and take a west coast trip in the Spring to hit the massive females at Clear. 

[Lures'n'Liberty]

19 hours ago, Caliyak said:

 Fly into SF and head north on hwy 101. 

Not to change the subject much, but Highway 101 was a really good band. I miss hearing them on the radio, and after seeing this post I've got "Somewhere Tonight" stuck in my head.