what if

[blanked]

if you were retired and money was no issue, what lake would you retire on? or if you wanted to live in the middle of a few different lakes.

And if you think you might get tired of fishing 5 days a week and like to hunt also take that into consideration.

myself i would pick sam rayburn.   however I do like to hunt quail and quail are too far from rayburn so i havent found the perfect spot yet

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

[move]peacocks in Bora Bora[/move]

[move]Largemouth on El Salto[/move]

[move]Tarpon on the fly-Key West[/move]

[paparock]

I'm doing that as we speak. The Mountain Home (Twin Lakes Area), in Arkansas is my choice. Some of the reasons are:

Arkansas has some of the cheapest taxes in the USA. My tax bill for a canoe resort that I just sold with a store, five cabins, bathhouse, a 2300sq. foot log home and just over 10 acres of camp ground is the same as I paid for just my house in Texas.

The twin lakes are Bull Shoals and Norfork. Bull Shoals is known for bass, largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted (Kentucky). Norfork is known for big striped bass. Fish over forty pounds are caught every year. The tailraces on the dams create the White River Trout Fishery. Brown Trout up to thirty nine pounds have been caught along with trophy Rainbow, Cutthroat, and Brook Trout. If river smallmouth are your thing there is the Buffalo River the first National River in the USA. All this is only a twenty minute drive from Mountain Home. The weather is great. We have all four seasons but none are very bad. We get maybe 6 inches of snow and the lakes never freeze over. Whether you fish, hunt, or golf you can do them all year round. Check it out: http://www.mtnhome.net/index.asp

I just paid $94,000 for a 1650 sq foot house that is about a mile and a half from the boat ramp on Bull Shoals. Life is sweet!!!

[blanked]

WOW low budget

your hardcore to leave the country permanently and have to learn a  new lifestyle.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Not really, that's what "lifestyle " is!  

Paparock, I get in that brown truck every day to be you eventually.  

[paparock]

Low_Budget_Hookers, come down sometimes and I will show you around the area. That goes for anyone on the forum. If you like mild weather and fishing all year long you will love this place.

[Gatorbassman]

I'm kind of partial to Clarks Hill Lake in Augusta Ga. It is a 71,000+ acre lake, with great bass fishing. You could fish it for years and never fish the same water twice. Watch Bassmaster TV this week and see the Tournament coverage from early this year. Watch the next BASS Tournament that will be held in April 06. There will be some heavy limits taken that week. The lakes that are a 2 hour drive or less from Augusta are; Lake Russel, Hartwell, Murray, Santee Cooper, Oconee, and Sinclair. We have a very active branch of Quail Unlimited in the area and there are dozens of Quail Hunting plantations in the area also. Everyday that I make the 15min drive to one of the ramps on Clarks Hill I can't help but count my blessings. There is nothing like driving a boat into a sunrise and having a Bald Eagle flying along side.

Clarks Hill Lake record Largemouth is 13lb 4oz, Striped Bass is 55lb 12oz. This is a Stripper that a my friend and his son caught this year.

[Rattlinrogue]

Lake Eddins in Pachuta ,MS.Did anyone see the episode of "Angler on Tour" when Joe was fishing with Paul Elias and they were catching bass after bass...6 lb...7 lb...8 lb...,etc.That was on  Paul Elias's home lake,Lake Eddins.It is a private trophy bass lake with a first class gated community around it.You don't fish it unless you live there or know someone who does.Paul Elias rates it as his favorite lake he's ever fished...and he's fished a few good ones.It's about 30 miles north of where I live.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I'm doing that as we speak. The Mountain Home (Twin Lakes Area), in Arkansas is my choice. Some of the reasons are:

Arkansas has some of the cheapest taxes in the USA. My tax bill for a canoe resort that I just sold with a store, five cabins, bathhouse, a 2300sq. foot log home and just over 10 acres of camp ground is the same as I paid for just my house in Texas.

The twin lakes are Bull Shoals and Norfork. Bull Shoals is known for bass, largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted (Kentucky). Norfork is known for big striped bass. Fish over forty pounds are caught every year. The tailraces on the dams create the White River Trout Fishery. Brown Trout up to thirty nine pounds have been caught along with trophy Rainbow, Cutthroat, and Brook Trout. If river smallmouth are your thing there is the Buffalo River the first National River in the USA. All this is only a twenty minute drive from Mountain Home. The weather is great. We have all four seasons but none are very bad. We get maybe 6 inches of snow and the lakes never freeze over. Whether you fish, hunt, or golf you can do them all year round. Check it out: http://www.mtnhome.net/index.asp

I just paid $94,000 for a 1650 sq foot house that is about a mile and a half from the boat ramp on Bull Shoals. Life is sweet!!!

Sounds good  Might have a neighbor some day ........ LOL.

[Bass Hammer]

Man that's a hard one. There's so much water......

I think I'd just do a bass version of the movie endless summer.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Man that's a hard one. There's so much water......

I think I'd just do a bass version of the movie endless summer.

Yeah, man, I'm with you.  I'd really like to be able to fish all the major lakes I've seen on TV and read about like Rayburn, Castaic, Toho, Ozarks, and too many others to mention.  After watching last years classic, though, I think I'll stay away from the Ohio river

[DDbasser]

That is a tough question, and one that my wife and I have been kicking around. I'll be 40 in April and would like to semi-retire by the time i am 55.

I've been thinking about southern Oklahoma, Texoma or Nothern Texas, lake Fork.

I'd still like to fish Tournaments so that is a consideration and I like to hunt Texas has a lot to offer in that area too.

I have considered Arkansas, Dardanelle or Hot Springs area. I love to duck hunt and Arkansas is the duck capitol of the world!!!    

[roadwarrior]

I'm thinking the Nashville area. Close to a real city with all the things you and your wife like and might need, but short access to a tremendous river (Cumberland), awesome lakes ( Dale Hollow, Old Hickory, Percy Priest, etc.) and a mild, four season climate. The Tennesse River and the reserviors created by the river system are within reasonable driving disitance. If you want a getaway to big largemouth waters in Florida and Texas, your starting point is a least close to the middle of the region.

This is an option I'm looking into.

[Matt Fly]

Thats not so tough for someone who grew up around Texas.   I have all the duck and deer hunting close enough.  North East Texas has the bass fishing and tournaments.   Fork would be the ideal head quarters to call home.  It is all ready my second home.

[Fisher of Men]

I agree with Mattfly.  I've always had good resources growing up here in Texas.  My wife and I will probably (God willing) move back closer to home (Paris, Texas); maybe Sulphur Springs area.  That way your within an hour from Fork, Monticello, and Cooper Lakes.  If Texas isn't an option, I agree that the Russlellville/Dardanelle area in AK is nice and might be an option.  My in-laws lived up there for about twelve years and there's plenty of fishing (Dardanelle and many other watershed lakes, plenty of deer and duck, and trout fishing within two hours on the Little Red or White rivers).

[paparock]

If Texas isn't an option, I agree that the Russellville/Dardanelle area in AK is nice and might be an option.  My in-laws lived up there for about twelve years and there's plenty of fishing (Dardanelle and many other watershed lakes, plenty of deer and duck, and trout fishing within two hours on the Little Red or White rivers).

Russellville/Dardanelle is a very nice area. It was my second choice to the Twin Lakes/Mountain Home area. I spent 15 years on the mainland from Galveston Island on the Texas coast. There are a lot of great people in Texas. I found that the hunting was harder because almost all the land is private and you had to get a lease. That is another thing I like about Mountain Home. Within a 30 min drive we have National Forest and even a Wilderness area. You can hunt bear here and they grow big. If you are lucky enough to draw a permit you can even hunt elk.

[Raul]

To me the geographically strategic town is on the border; MacAllen, Mission, Pharr or somewhere around those, you 've got: Padre Island, El Cuchillo, Vicente Guerrero, Emilio Caballero, Choke Canyon, Falcon less than 2 hour drive from those towns.

[FALCON]

I ALREADY DID IT. I LIVE ON LAKE ST. CLAIR (CHOSEN ONE OF BASSCENTER TOP TEN BASS LAKES A COUPLE WEEKS AGO).

A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN EVERY DAY.

[BassNut]

PapaRock, that sounds like Heaven to me!!

I will stay where I'm at, plenty of good fishing all around

here in CT.

The Ct river is a great fisherey Pike, SMB, Crappie, Bowfins, Monster carp.

Farmington River for trout,salmon LMB,crappie. And lots of lakes, small ponds

that hold some of the best top water action you can find!

And some great Ice fishing in the winter.  ;D

[Nick_Barr]

PapaRock, How far away are you from Branson, MO. I will be their for 6 days on spring break fishing table rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

[basspro48]

I can't believe nobody has said Lake Guntersville Alabama yet! That would be my dream right there, it has some of the best largemouth fishing in the country and not to mention it some pretty good whitetail deer hunting from what I've heard. Plus nobody lives there, and I love living in the country so it would be my #1 choice.

[Guest avid]

I'm with rattlin rogue on this one.  I am retired, but alas money is always an issue.  I live in gated community that surrounds a private lake and this is the home lake I speak about.  It's not like the Paul Eias' lake though.  It's a little over a hundred acres and no outboards allowed.  Yes it's private but is still pretty heavily fished.  If I could I would live on a supersized version of this.  

[Guest avid]

OH and Paparock should be on TV with Eric Estrada selling "Fabulous affordable homesites in beautiful Arkansas"  Hold on Papa Rock them baby boomers is a comin'  

[paparock]

Mountain Home is about an hour and a half southeast of Branson. Bull Shoals Lake is 45,000 acres with a little over 1000 miles of shore line. From the air it looks like a giant Chinese dragon.The bridges that span Norfork Lake: http://www.lakenorfork.com/images/twinbridgeslg.jpg Norfork lake is about a 20 minute drive from Bull Shoals. http://www.lakenorfork.com/images/bigmap.gif

http://www.agfc.com/fishing/pix/brown_trout_big.jpg

http://www.agfc.com/fishing/pix/walleye_big.jpg

Check out Arkansas Fishing Records

Number 1 World Record Brown Trout over 40 pounds

Number 1 World Record Walleye 22 pounds 11 ounces

Avid I sure wish I could see that add. I guess they don't run it for people already here in Arkansas. Hey I need a partime job, hmmm maybe?