Retire Near Water at Reasonable Cost

[martyb]

Here's a plug for Toledo Bend Reservior, an approx. 200,000 acre lake which borders Texas & Louisiana and is roughly 70 miles from north to south, with around 1200 miles of shoreline. It's not a wide open lake like you'd find up in yankee land, but is more conducive to fishing because it still has a good bit of standing timber & stumps from when they dammed & flooded the Sabine river in the early days (70's) of construction. For a fisherperson, it's hard to beat. There's still plenty of room for pleasure boating, it's just that in most of the lake you'd be wise to stay in the marked boat lanes, unless you want to test your boat insurance! Real estate is still quite reasonable around the lake, and it's on my short list.

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by martyb Here's a plug for Toledo Bend Reservior...

Is that banjos I hear dueling...?

[martyb]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo Is that banjos I hear dueling...?

Yeah, I'm just a good 'ol southern boy...doing what comes natural! I've never lived in a fish camp, though...like some folks around here!

[haha]

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Originally Posted by martyb Here's a plug for Toledo Bend Reservior, an approx. 200,000 acre lake which borders Texas & Louisiana and is roughly 70 miles from north to south, with around 1200 miles of shoreline. It's not a wide open lake like you'd find up in yankee land, but is more conducive to fishing because it still has a good bit of standing timber & stumps from when they dammed & flooded the Sabine river in the early days (70's) of construction. For a fisherperson, it's hard to beat. There's still plenty of room for pleasure boating, it's just that in most of the lake you'd be wise to stay in the marked boat lanes, unless you want to test your boat insurance! Real estate is still quite reasonable around the lake, and it's on my short list.

Are the daily limits pretty high down there? Is the water clean enough that you feel good about eating a lot of the fish?

I got so frustrated fisnhing up here since the limits are really low, and really complicated. I'm kind of casual about stuff like this and it turned me off. I'd rather eat fish than most things, and catching it is jsut behind eating it.

Ha

[TargaDave]

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Originally Posted by Midpack DW and I want to live near water, either ocean or substantial lakes, so we can enjoy boating (though we probably won't be boatowners in retirement). Ideally within a half-hour if not closer and moderate weather (ie, not Florida/Georgia and not New England) and a reasonable COL. We could afford more, but to us, $350-400K for a home is our emotional upper limit - we're in the Midwest where that would buy a spectacular house. And we don't want a big house anyway, probably 1100-1500 sqft. (Ross Chapin designs appeal to us). We're thinking middle Atlantic (MD or Carolinas) - but suggestions would be most welcome. Nothing against the Left Coast, it just looks too expensive unless you go well inland, which we don't want. Hope to visit and decide in the next 2-4 years.

FWIW, we're moving to a small canal front cottage (1500 sq ft ish) on the sound side of the Outer Banks (near Kitty Hawk) this summer. Old boating community that is modestly priced. Lower taxes, higher insurance so always plusses and minuses. Norfolk 80 minutes away (and a potential location itself). Lower cost if you are not on the water, and even lower on the mainland. I saw New Bern metioned in the Thread and you mentioned Wilmington. These are great NC locations with different characters. Good luck. You'd have many choices in NC alone. We vacationed here and elsewhere numerous times before deciding this was our spot.

Below: returning from the Wed afternoon fun race in the sound. Very easy to crew if you don't want to own. Even a nice kids sailing program with a fleet of Opti's and some 420's. I can also check the wind from the deck, paddle out, rig up and kiteboard or windsurf just outside the harbor. A definite advantage over the current 10 hour round trip.

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by TargaDave FWIW, we're moving to a small canal front cottage (1500 sq ft ish) on the sound side of the Outer Banks (near Kitty Hawk) this summer. Old boating community that is modestly priced. Lower taxes, higher insurance so always plusses and minuses. Norfolk 80 minutes away (and a potential location itself). Lower cost if you are not on the water, and even lower on the mainland. I saw New Bern metioned in the Thread and you mentioned Wilmington. These are great NC locations with different characters. Good luck. You'd have many choices in NC alone. We vacationed here and elsewhere numerous times before deciding this was our spot. Below: returning from the Wed afternoon fun race in the sound. Very easy to crew if you don't want to own. Even a nice kids sailing program with a fleet of Opti's and some 420's. I can also check the wind from the deck, paddle out, rig up and kiteboard or windsurf just outside the harbor. A definite advantage over the current 10 hour round trip.

A lot of good feedback and I've bookmarked them all and working through them carefully. But this one really sounds appealing, it was the picture that got me, right up our alley. Thanks...

[unclemick]

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Originally Posted by martyb Yeah, I'm just a good 'ol southern boy...doing what comes natural! I've never lived in a fish camp, though...like some folks around here!

PacNW transplant - Toledo Bend is still on my short list along with various maybe man made places in the Missouri/Arkansas Ozarks.

How ever - have not yet given up my quest in Kansas for the 'Yellow Brick Road.'

heh heh heh - still like ABOVE vs across the wide Missouri. .

[Niko]

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Originally Posted by figner hankster and Niko - could you name a few towns in the area of the Olympic Peninsula you're thinking of? On google maps I see Port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend, but would love to get some tips on which areas have more sunny weather. I've generally ruled out the Seattle area for myself because of the rain (I get SAD), but this may change my mind. Thanks!

I'll have to defer to some of the other posters. I've only driven through the area a few times en route to backpacking and climbing trailheads. I've eaten at a nice restaurant in PA. I think I've heard that Sequim is more dry. I know that the whole area can have drastic changes in rainfall within just a few miles. I've done some hiking where I look in one direction and it looks like a rain forest (it is!) and it is brown in the other direction. Really amazing. If you like back country hiking away from roads, this is the area.

[martyb]

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Originally Posted by haha Are the daily limits pretty high down there? Is the water clean enough that you feel good about eating a lot of the fish? I got so frustrated fisnhing up here since the limits are really low, and really complicated. I'm kind of casual about stuff like this and it turned me off. I'd rather eat fish than most things, and catching it is jsut behind eating it. Ha

I've never heard of any type of advisories against eating fish from Toledo Bend. I know lots of people who do just that, myself included. I eat fish from most of the waters here in NW LA that I fish, with a few exceptions. There is a power plant lake just across the TX state line that is contaminated with I believe selenium, and is unsafe to eat from, but still has great bass fishing.

I'm primarily a bass angler, with crappie (called "white perch" in most of LA and "sac a lait" further south in the state), running a close second. Many people here fish for nothing but catfish, and I do some of that too. Louisiana limits on black bass are comparatively liberal, with a state-wide limit of 10 per day. Some waters have more restrictions, but absent those special rules, the 10 fish limit applies.

Crappie limits in Louisiana are 50 per day statewide. Catfish, not sure but it's liberal. Fish are abundant here and in east Texas and don't seem to be threatened by the huge number of fish hooks in the water year round.

For border lakes like Toledo Bend and Caddo Lake (bordering LA & TX), the limits that apply depend on where you get out of your boat at. If you step out on the TX side of the lake, then you'd best only have a TX limit. In Texas, the usual state limit is 5 bass or 25 crappie. In both states, certain lakes have a "slot" limit imposed on largemouth bass. For instance...all fish, up to the 5 or 8 fish limit, may be kept if 14 inches or under. Also, possibly 2 fish over 18" may be kept, with all fish falling between those two lengths required to be released.

Whatever the combination of sizes, the total retained has to be no more than the daily limit.

I should add that the designated limits on Toledo Bend are a little different than some other LA regs, in that instead of 10 bass per day, you can only keep 8 on the LA side of the lake, with a 14" minimum size. On the TX side of the lake, the limit is 5 fish (bass) per day with the same 14" limit.

If you like to catch, keep and eat freshwater fish, this is the place to be. I don't know if there's another state in the U.S. with a 10 fish daily limit on bass. That being said, I don't keep and eat all that many bass, but do occaisionally. I much prefer the delicious sweet taste of good ol' white perch. It's not unusual to catch them between 2 & 3 lbs apiece 'round here. Gotta love it!

p.s. I forgot to mention that one very popular local border lake, known for trophy-sized bass has seen some fish-eating advisory posted regarding eating fish from a specific area of the lake due to an old army ammunition facility that used to operate in the area. That would be Caddo Lake, north of Shreveport. I've caught tons of fish there, and have eaten a number of them. The lake is big, and the small bay where the advisory applied is located in a somewhat remote area. The authority who issued the advisory didn't seem to think the problem was bad enough to put the whole lake on alert. Some fish, primarily bottom feeders are much more likely to ingest toxic substances than others, I think.

[haha]

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Originally Posted by martyb If you like to catch, keep and eat freshwater fish, this is the place to be. I don't know if there's another state in the U.S. with a 10 fish daily limit on bass. That being said, I don't keep and eat all that many bass, but do occaisionally. I much prefer the delicious sweet taste of good ol' white perch. It's not unusual to catch them between 2 & 3 lbs apiece 'round here. Gotta love it!

Thanks Marty, that does sound really good.

Ha

[Beer man]

Check out Bloomington,Indiana. Low cost of living. Largest man made lake in the state. 35,000 students. Lots of ethnic restaurants. 1 hr drive to Indianapolis airport.

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by Beer man Check out Bloomington,Indiana. Low cost of living. Largest man made lake in the state. 35,000 students. Lots of ethnic restaurants. 1 hr drive to Indianapolis airport.

I'm in NW Indiana now, Bloomington just wouldn't be enough of a climate change for us, but I know it's a great town.

I am still reading every post here (I started the thread) and reading up on every one. We are in deep research on several, thanks all. Our top priorities are good weather and low cost of living and we're discovering (not surprising) that they're mostly inversely correlated.