College towns with good fishing to retire to; suggestions?

[Balance]

I would have to agree on Asheville as an top option, but if you wanted a milder winter than how about Athens, Ga? You can be in mountain Trout streams or Bass filled lakes in 2 hours or less. Athens has a great arts scene and you can go into Atlanta for the weekend to hit museums and such. The coast of Ga and SC (Hilton Head, Kiawah) is 4 hours away so 3 day beach weekends are accessible. Cost of living is reasonable. UGA has a good division 1 sports program to enjoy.

For the record, I am an avid fisherman, primarily saltwater. I have a waterfront home on the coast. While Charleston is not where I live, if you thought you might be a saltwater convert then that town would hit most of your other requirements. Though it has a higher COL.

As you may know, places like Athens and Charleston can be brutal hot for a few months in the summer. That's where Asheville has the edge.

[HadEnuff]

trout fishing and mild weather may be a tough combination to find.

[pjm-7]

You want to know where the beach is near Durango Colorado? Check out the Great Sand Dunes NP. www.nps.gov/grsa. They have the tallest dunes in North America. Be sure to bring a board if you want to "surf".

[RunningBum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjm-7 You want to know where the beach is near Durango Colorado? Check out the Great Sand Dunes NP. www.nps.gov/grsa. They have the tallest dunes in North America. Be sure to bring a board if you want to "surf".

Even that's over 3 hours away, but no matter. The OP hasn't been back since asking the question. Hit and run.

[woodguy00]

Fayetteville, AR -without the beaches
Ashland OR

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunningBum Even that's over 3 hours away, but no matter. The OP hasn't been back since asking the question. Hit and run.

He'll likely be back. In an intro thread the OP said

Quote:

... I'm leaving tomorrow for a vacation, to see my DD and get my fill of museums. I'm going to do this as a test drive and see if I can leave all the work-related worrying behind. I'm going to check messages on Tuesday and Thursday at noon. Wish me luck.

[Big_Hitter]

Boise

[friar1610]

Burlington/Middlebury VT. University of VT. St. Michael's College. Middlebury College. Lake Champlain. Smaller lakes and ponds. Lotsa streams and rivers. Oh, you said a warm climate?


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[skipro33]

Sacramento.
We have state college and university as well as jr. colleges and several private colleges. (My son is a director for a local private Christian university on the edge of Sacramento). Fishing is off the charts. I kayak fish with a group of guys from a forum called NCKA. (look it up) We have kayak fishing tournaments about once a month. Rock cod fishing just opened up. Yes, we go on the ocean and catch some BIG FISH!!! Salmon season is also now open on the ocean. Crab season finally got kicked off.
In case you haven't noticed, that's a lot of beach time for your wife to enjoy. Lots of fresh water fishing too;
Many lakes, ponds, an entire delta system with some of the world's best bass and striper fishing around. High mountain fishing for Kokanee, trout, etc.
Sacramento home values are reasonable.

[Rustic23]

I lived near Boise, I would not call it warm in winter.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic23 This was a quick search of Boise in the winter. Not real sure this looks warm, unless you come from the North Poll.

uh, your link doesn't work - nice ninja edit

BTW, anything is better than a summer in the Houston area - I lived there 40 years - I know several people who moved here just due to the fishing

Plus we steelhead, ice fish and ski in the winter - there is a really good ski hill 30 minutes from my house

[Rustic23]

Big Hitter,
Nothing against Boise. A beautiful place, and we loved Bogus Basin to ski. But one of the OP's criteria was Warm.

[Big_Hitter]

I'd say we have mild weather....IMO...YMMV

[Brdofpray]

Upstate South Carolina. Plenty of lakes, Jocassee, Kiawee, and Hartwell. Plenty of trout streams in Blue Ridge Escapment. In fact, the border between South Carolina, and Georgia is a world class trout river, the Chattooga River. On a side note this is the river where they filmed "Deliverance". (Do you hear banjo music?)

[Brdofpray]

Forgot to mention. Clemson University sits right on the upper reaches of Lake Hartwell. If you do come here, you have to get used to orange!

[HadEnuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brdofpray Upstate South Carolina. Plenty of lakes, Jocassee, Kiawee, and Hartwell. Plenty of trout streams in Blue Ridge Escapment. In fact, the border between South Carolina, and Georgia is a world class trout river, the Chattooga River. On a side note this is the river where they filmed "Deliverance". (Do you hear banjo music?)

In my younger days I spent a lot of my vacation time in the "low country"... The region you describe, the Ga-SC border is on my list of areas to look closely at.
What's the winter climate like.
Any particular cities/towns you'd particularly recommend..
(love to golf, fish, and hike, BTW)

[OnLakeKeowee]

+1 on Clemson, SC and lots of orange...great college town, clear lakes, good fishing, mountains, 1 hr to Greenville, and two hours to either Atlanta or Charlotte.

[gcgang]

I'd say you need to split your time between Bozeman, Mt in the summer and find a nice warm weather college for the winter, maybe San Diego.

[scrinch]

Another vote for the Davis-Sacramento-Stockton area. Bay Area access to the west, Sierras to the east, you're right on the delta, reasonably mild weather year round, and a number of nearby universities and colleges.

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[Bamaman]

Just about every large city in The South has a major college--ane a major lake. Noteworthy and great places with great lakes are:
Clemson, SC--with the lake running thru the middle of town.
Auburn, AL
Nashville, TN--"Athens of the South" with over 17 colleges and 2 major lakes.
Muscle Shoals, AL--3 major lakes and 2 colleges of 7,500 students.
Knoxville, TN--surrounded by lakes and mountains--and a very livable place.
Columbia, SC--with 48,000 students at U. of SC.
And the list goes on and on. But the biggest plus is a very, very low cost of living and houses.