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We recently retired. I fished as a kid, and after 3 months in Cape Coral, Florida I've finally gotten my husband interested. Especially if a boat purchase were included.
We currently live in Phoenix, AZ. Obviously, not good fishing territory. We were thinking of relocating, anyway. With the following criteria, where would you fisherman move?
We don't care much about trophies or fish species. We like active fishing - lots of fish, most of which we release anyway. Sitting for 3 hours with 2 nibbles is not our style.
No real preference for fresh water vs salt water. Not interested in big game or deep sea fishing. Would like to be somewhere we can have a boat - either at our own dock or in a marina. Trailering and launching is not too easy at our age.
Cold weather and snow - VERY minimal, please. Heat is fine - we prefer it (AZ, remember?) but humidity is very uncomfortable for my husband. A breeze helps. If high humidity is limited to just a couple of months, he could tolerate it or we'd go rent somewhere else during the summer.
Near a small or larger city, suburbs are fine. Way out country living (Aka the boonies) is not for us.
No family restrictions - anyplace in the US except CA or HI (cost of living and taxes would deplete our IRA's too quickly). No concern about school systems.
So, if you were looking for this magical place, where would you go?
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkgourmet
We recently retired. I fished as a kid, and after 3 months in Cape Coral, Florida I've finally gotten my husband interested. Especially if a boat purchase were included.
We currently live in Phoenix, AZ. Obviously, not good fishing territory. We were thinking of relocating, anyway. With the following criteria, where would you fisherman move?
We don't care much about trophies or fish species. We like active fishing - lots of fish, most of which we release anyway. Sitting for 3 hours with 2 nibbles is not our style.
No real preference for fresh water vs salt water. Not interested in big game or deep sea fishing. Would like to be somewhere we can have a boat - either at our own dock or in a marina. Trailering and launching is not too easy at our age.
Cold weather and snow - VERY minimal, please. Heat is fine - we prefer it (AZ, remember?) but humidity is very uncomfortable for my husband. A breeze helps. If high humidity is limited to just a couple of months, he could tolerate it or we'd go rent somewhere else during the summer.
Near a small or larger city, suburbs are fine. Way out country living (Aka the boonies) is not for us.
No family restrictions - anyplace in the US except CA or HI (cost of living and taxes would deplete our IRA's too quickly). No concern about school systems.
So, if you were looking for this magical place, where would you go?
I would personally be very likely to find myself in Chorpus Christi, TX but if humidity is not your cup of tea then the Gulf Coast (as in the tip of Florida all the way to the tip of Texas) is probably not for you.
Chorpus presents a lot of opportunity for shallow bay / estuary fishing from a boat or wading around the boat and if you get a wild hair you can head for deeper waters. South Texas also has the most beautiful beaches. Warm water generally makes for active fish and even on slow trout days you can still have a lot of fun getting into some skipjack or going out a bit farther to play the weedlines for some "chicken dolphin". If absolutely nothing else is working there's always chumming for black tips.
Chorpus is big enough to have pretty good medical care and give you a feeling of civilization, if not "metropolitanism".
Also, regardless of personal style, there will certainly be days when you fish three hours for two nibbles. I'm not quite sure where to send you to avoid that.
The Delta in California. You can hit over 1000 miles of water ways and fish for a multitude of different species. Plus California has one of the most extensive reservoir systems in the world.
You can even reach the San Francisco Bay from the Delta if you so desire. Transition from fresh to salt with out even leaving your boat.
The Delta in California. You can hit over 1000 miles of water ways and fish for a multitude of different species. Plus California has one of the most extensive reservoir systems in the world.
You can even reach the San Francisco Bay from the Delta if you so desire. Transition from fresh to salt with out even leaving your boat.
I love my fresh water bass fishing but if I had the cash, I would be on a boat off the coast of Florida with a cooler full of DrPepper...well, better add some diet Cokes for the wife
Your limiting yourself by your own unrealistic perceptions. However do as you will have a nice day and good luck.
What's unrealistic?
I've only eliminated TWO states out of 50, for sound financial reasons. We're willing to tolerate 2-3 months of humid weather.
We're open to fresh or salt water fishing - and not looking for trophy size fish or any particular species.
We're open to small, medium and large cities, and suburbs.
Trust me, bulldog, if I could afford CA, I'd be there. But I chose to retire at 53 instead of working until I was 70. So I've got a lot of years to live off of those funds I worked my tail off to save for an early retirement. If you know someplace in California that is financial feasible, I sincerely appreciate the advice.
I've only eliminated TWO states out of 50, for sound financial reasons. We're willing to tolerate 2-3 months of humid weather.
We're open to fresh or salt water fishing - and not looking for trophy size fish or any particular species.
We're open to small, medium and large cities, and suburbs.
Trust me, bulldog, if I could afford CA, I'd be there. But I chose to retire at 53 instead of working until I was 70. So I've got a lot of years to live off of those funds I worked my tail off to save for an early retirement. If you know someplace in California that is financial feasible, I sincerely appreciate the advice.
I understand. I would need a budget first before I could recommend any places to live. I just think a lot of people cross California off the list before doing any real research. Trust me retiring out of California is something I wrestle with consistently. However I won't have to make that decision for about another 20+ years.
I understand. I would need a budget first before I could recommend any places to live. I just think a lot of people cross California off the list before doing any real research. Trust me retiring out of California is something I wrestle with consistently. However I won't have to make that decision for about another 20+ years.
Thank you, Bulldog. That's a helpful reply, and I'll be happy to add some additional information. I would be truly delighted to find that I've misjudged the CA costs. (I admit, the media flack does sometimes make me short sighted.)
We'd be looking at a house, 3 bed, 2 bath, in the $250-$400K range. Newer construction will be a strong preference. We might consider a condo, depending on cost and condo fees. Square footage would probably have to be 1600 sq. ft., minimum and I'd prefer a bit larger. One story required.
My biggest concern are the taxes in CA. Our income is entirely generated from IRA distributions and my husband's SS. And since I am a young retiree (now 55, was 53 when I retired), I need to conserve as much as possible in those IRA's. So, state taxes (property, income, sales tax) DO have a serious impact on our decisions.
I'm open to being shown that I have eliminated CA too quickly. In fact, I'd be delighted.
Thank you, Bulldog. That's a helpful reply, and I'll be happy to add some additional information. I would be truly delighted to find that I've misjudged the CA costs. (I admit, the media flack does sometimes make me short sighted.)
We'd be looking at a house, 3 bed, 2 bath, in the $250-$400K range. Newer construction will be a strong preference. We might consider a condo, depending on cost and condo fees. Square footage would probably have to be 1600 sq. ft., minimum and I'd prefer a bit larger. One story required.
My biggest concern are the taxes in CA. Our income is entirely generated from IRA distributions and my husband's SS. And since I am a young retiree (now 55, was 53 when I retired), I need to conserve as much as possible in those IRA's. So, state taxes (property, income, sales tax) DO have a serious impact on our decisions.
I'm open to being shown that I have eliminated CA too quickly. In fact, I'd be delighted.
Nothing wrong with that budget for California. Here is a link to start. With that budget you would have no problem finding something on the Delta. Just saying. Check out the price of homes in Sacramento, Stockton, Rio Vista, Discovery Bay etc...... these are the biggest urban areas with direct access to the Delta. Also there are a many many more smaller cities and town as well. Well good luck no matter what you decide.
I just did a quick check for homes in Stockton West of Interstate 5 that are right on the water or right next to the marina. Many in your price range. I didn't even look at condos. Its a very depressed housing market in the Central Valley right now.
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