Would you move for the sake of fishing?

[bulletbob]

I have been posting for several years now, and some may know I live a long way from the NJ shore, although I lived there [ or close]the first 37 years of my life.. I miss it terribly. Not NJ towns so much as they have changed drastically, and have become very crowded,, but the ocean, the bays and coastal rivers is what I miss so much.. I live in upstate NY, and there is some good fishing, but its just NOT like salt water.. My area is mostly deep trolling with downriggers for trout.. The 2 big lakes here are cayuga and seneca, both around 40 miles long, 2 miles wide, and Seneca is over 600 feet deep, cayuga is 435 at its deepest, and yes there ARE fish down there!..

That kind of fishing doesn't appeal to me in the least.. We have some good smallmouth and walleyes nearby in the susquehanna river, but thats very short lived, from May, until late Nov, and then it becaomes tough to fish.. Even during summer, the river is often unfishable for weeks at a time, when we get heavy rain...
So here I am, a hardcore saltwater fisherman, landlocked in upstate NY..
I am now 60, and will retire in about 1 1/2 years.. I REALLY want to move at least a few hours further south, maybe into central Pa... a 2 or 3 hour drive to the shore is much less daunting than a 5 hour one...
I grow weary of our 6 month+ winters up here as well..
The NJ shore is probably not in the cards due to the incredibly high taxes, and high home prices.. I was thinking maybe southern Pa, or maybe Delaware or something.. Anything to be closer to salt water, and not so far from the NJ shore, as I feel the best salt water fishing on the east coast is centered right there.. We get southern and northern species there, and the fishing is year round.... I just want to be able to get some real salt water time in before I am too old.. That time is getting closer each day... Anyway, just making conversation here, and I would like to get thoughts from guys here about it..

Have you ever moved, or would you move just for fishing opportunities??..

I would probably drop everything, and buy a small house within a few miles of the shore, but my wife wants to stay here... I can see our differences of opinion causing problems after my retirement.. Maybe I will think differently in time, but I doubt it.. Time has NOT lessened my longing to be near the salt, it has increased it as the drive down becomes harder and harder each year... sucks getting old... anyway, it should make for an interesting conversation.... bob

[HavingFunYet]

Life is short. Enjoy it while you can. I will move. After convincing the wife, of course.

[Capt. Debbie]

Do both.

Rent a house for a month or two a year. Leave the boat & trailer in rental yard.

And fish your brains out anywhere. Maine to FLA.

Unfortunatley I have to still work to pay for things. They don't pay me not to show up yet. LOL

[Fin Reaper]

My wife and I are thinking of bailing out of NJ in 5 years. We are visiting DE and NC a few times a year doing recon and YES...fishing is one of our (my) criteria. I currently live in Andover which takes me 90ish minutes to get to the AH party boats so as long as the winters are warmer, the taxes are lower and my commute to the boat is less than 90 minutes I'll be happy.

HEY! last man outta Jersey, turn the lights off :rolleyes:

[NoWorries]

I did just that over 30 years ago. Having grown up in Wayne,NJ in northern NJ. I pushed my wife into the move with our 2 boys when they were very young.We bought a house in Brick and have lived here ever since. I commuted all over the place for my working career and retired over 7 years ago. Right now there are opportunities for both retirement homes and private homes that offer value to potential buyers and renters. TAKE A LOOK :D

[bassnblues]

I would not want to live more than a couple hour's drive to the salt. That said, NJ and retirement do not mix well.

Have you considered the Pocono area? Your wife will have the mountains and you can get to Sandy Hook area in 2 hrs. Plus you'll have the Delaware river and Lake Walenpaupack if you want to do some fresh water.

[bigal427]

I lived 75 minutes from the shore all my life and fished all the time. When it came time to retire I bought a house on the water at the jersey shore. Now my boats are in my back yard and and in 15 minutes I am fishing in the ocean and loving it. Life is to short enjoy it while you can.

[bulletbob]

I would not want to live more than a couple hour's drive to the salt. That said, NJ and retirement do not mix well.

Have you considered the Pocono area? Your wife will have the mountains and you can get to Sandy Hook area in 2 hrs. Plus you'll have the Delaware river and Lake Walenpaupack if you want to do some fresh water.

Yes.. We even had a down payment sent in on a little house in the poconos, but the deal caved in... It does make sense, as its not real far from the shore, but is still close to some good freshwater fishing in the Delaware... We may consider this... Also, Delaware seems to have good low taxes, and reasonable home prices... However it also has a lot of crime, and the demographics aren't that great... bob

[hofnodinstructor]

Nj has lots of 55+ dying communities near the shore. You can usually find houses for under 100k in them or even rent in senior apartments for $750 a month near the ocean.

[aduma1107]

An older buddy/fishing partner is moving to Delaware from East Stroudsburg so he is closer to coastal fishing. Retired carpenter.

[Chris1129]

I vacationed at Cayuga Lake a few years back,,,,,that Lake is beautiful!

I'm only 35, but if I was in your shoes I would look at a rental of some sort so both you and your wife would be happy and maybe go back and forth??

I remember doing that drive, its about 5 hours….and that would be about the last thing in the world i would want to do after I was fishing all day.

[sportfishingusa]

I throw a rock at saltwater, and you can buy a house around me reasonable, and taxes are not that bad.

[Blackfish Doug]

I would look into the 55 & older communities in Manchester, NJ it has very reasonable tax's in that area. Homes in that are reasonable & a short drive to shore spots are a half an hour or less away. I only wish I could move there as well but my wife likes it here. If I had it my way I would move to RI I would be in fish haven for sure.

[Finprof]

Cayuga Lake has some good trolling for lake trout if you know what you are doing and the stream fishing for trout is not bad if you know where to go. One of the kids just graduated from Cornell with a BSc and an MS so I got to know Ithaca well while they were taking my money.
I live in Princeton, but have another house in St. Michaels MD on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay. Both houses have about the same value but the real estate taxes are less than a third of NJ. My boat is in a slip across the street from my house and I can catch fish or crabs within sight of my slip. There is a very nice maritime museum (if you are into boats) within an easy walking distance as well as at least a dozen restaurants and a couple of grocery stores. Half my neighbors are retired while the other half are weekenders. It is about 3 hours from New Jersey and I make the trip most weekends until I retire. At that point I will sell the NJ house, keep the one in St. Michaels and buy another one on Winyah Bay in South Carolina.
Almost forgot - buying teh place in St. Michaels was my wife's idea. She loves it.

[O'Connor]

I moved from NJ in 2008. I took a transfer and sold my house in Shark River Hills. Fishing never entered my mind when I considered the move. For me it was all about money. I would live in any state which was along the coast. Maine to Florida, Cal-Washington and throw in all the Gulf States as well. To look inland would take the right combination of $ and a nice neighborhood for the wife and kid. As the years add up fishing has become less important to me. Fishing Twice per month is more then enough. Take a look @ Virginia and North Carolina. Very reasonable priced homes and great fishing. Bottom line is do what's best for you. If Ithaca or wherever you live is to far from what makes you truly happy in life they you should pull the plug and head east. Only you can answer that. Good Luck, Sir.

[ReelErIn]

That was a big part of my move. My boat is on the lift 30' from the back door,
I'll be out there tomorrow low tide is 11:30 am high ids at 6:30PM.
Loving it. The temp today was 81 NICE !!!
The fing property tax at $16,000 Mt.Olive also help me to pack my tent.I'm on NJF almost every day ya can't beat the NJF.Com crew GREAT PEOPLE

[bulletbob]

Cayuga Lake has some good trolling for lake trout if you know what you are doing and the stream fishing for trout is not bad if you know where to go. One of the kids just graduated from Cornell with a BSc and an MS so I got to know Ithaca well while they were taking my money.
I live in Princeton, but have another house in St. Michaels MD on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay. Both houses have about the same value but the real estate taxes are less than a third of NJ. My boat is in a slip across the street from my house and I can catch fish or crabs within sight of my slip. There is a very nice maritime museum (if you are into boats) within an easy walking distance as well as at least a dozen restaurants and a couple of grocery stores. Half my neighbors are retired while the other half are weekenders. It is about 3 hours from New Jersey and I make the trip most weekends until I retire. At that point I will sell the NJ house, keep the one in St. Michaels and buy another one on Winyah Bay in South Carolina.
Almost forgot - buying teh place in St. Michaels was my wife's idea. She loves it.
I really don't need to troll for lakers.. I catch them on jigs.. However, jigging in 100' of water all day to catch lakers gets old quick, and they stink to eat.. bluefish are better, for whatever thats worth... I am also thinking about Maryland... We'll see.. In any case, I have told my wife she can stay here if she wants, but I can't and won't.. How that plays out remains to be seen.. I can't see living in this icebox as an old man, and thats not too far down the road... bob

[tautog]

There are deals to be had inland and in Ocean County. Lots of decent 55 and over for under 175K and a 30-45 minute drive to the boats.

[kmaty]

Do lots of work in 55s and older very big and roomy but lots pf bs rules settle for poconos great area and you don't need to commute tojersey shoe for saltwater dish stripers swim up Delaware every spring

[GetANet]

Love the question I told my wife I'd consider moving somewhere else only if the fishing was better>>>>>>>Fast forward 24 years later STILL IN NJ!!!!
I live in Middlesex county and have THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!! I fished both fresh and salt all my life. Seems like I go through phases though, fresh, salt fresh every few years. As I have gotten older I prefer the fresh water lakes and some striper fishing mixed in now! Two minutes to the boat ramp and a ten minute ride to raritan bay as well as no more than an hour and a half ride to greenwood I feel like I live in paradise, WELL KINDA!!! I think you should do what will make YOU happy. There comes a time in life when one should think about what they want not everyone else!!!! Find a place and DO IT!!!!

[cfish71]

You may want to consider the Lehigh Valley in Pa. There are 3 small cities that provide for a ton of fun things to do. You are @1 1/2 hrs to Sandy hook as well as to Philadelphia / 2 hrs. to NYC. In 45 mins. you can be in the Pocono Mtns. The Delaware River is near as well as many trout streams.There are a bunch of small towns that have great living conditions. The top 3 small towns in the area are: Emmaus - Nazareth - Hellertown. I've been here for 63 years and feel it is great place to live. Check it out.

[torchee]

Couldn't live more than 1-2 hours from the ocean.

Just couldn't - I hardly make it through he winters without listing my mind.

It would make me crazy to look at these reports and not be able to plan a trip

[Capt. Lou]

I also live in LV in PA, Moved here 20 yrs ago & gives me best of both worlds !
Love my Troutin & shore fishery. !
Kept a boat @ nj shore for years & spent summers on it , everything pretty close!
I lived in NJ most of my life but not bad where I am , I'm sure u can find something in this region & not bad shore run at all! Do it all the time !

[squan63]

As a blue collar resident living within a mile of the beach my entire life (51) and fishing 100 to 150 times a year can tell u if u decide to move to Monmouth county be prepared to pay some big taxes.in 91 cheapest house I could find in Monmouth I bought and taxes were 1900 now headed to 10 k hope this helps with your choice

[june181901]

I would move yesterday to the Keys BUT I would be doing it solo!

[bigfishy]

Gr8 thread!!:D

I'm a 90% freshwater guy and would move in a heartbeat
to a trouty area or south to gr8 lm bass areas....Just a matter of funds
and the kids movin on and out....If $ is rite that's a matter of 5 yrs er so...

Good luck with ur decision , and take ur time choosing an area and state..

[bulletbob]

Gr8 thread!!:D

I'm a 90% freshwater guy and would move in a heartbeat
to a trouty area or south to gr8 lm bass areas....Just a matter of funds
and the kids movin on and out....If $ is rite that's a matter of 5 yrs er so...

Good luck with ur decision , and take ur time choosing an area and state..


"Trouty area'.. I like that..
There is some good fw trout fishing up here, but there is a big problem... We often have 6 months of winter. Unless you love ice fishing of course..
However, I prefer decent weather for fishing, and being on a frozen lake when its 10 degrees in a 30 mph wind trying to pull fish trhough a 6 inch hole.. just not my bag... I would MUCH rather be on a head boat actually catching some nice size good eating fish, and when my hands freeze up, walk into the heated cabin for 5 minutes, or better yet ,heated rails!...
Believe me, Finger Lakes winters are brutal... Very few nights above 20 degress from nov through mid April, and often it gets 20-25 below zero at night, and doesn't make 15 at mid day during January and Feb..
We don't see the sun either from Nov through March.. It very dreary and dark here,, VERY depressing..
I can;t stay here.. I am getting old FAST, and need some time to fish, garden, sit in the shade on warm days and enjoy life.... I have what, maybe 10-15 more years to be able to fish easily IF I am lucky and my health stays ok.. Can't spend it where winter shuts everything down for 5 months every year.. Thinking southern Pa, or perhaps Mayland or Northern Va, near the Chesapeake..bob

[bigfishy]

If the Salt is ur main push why not check out the gulf coast states??
Lots of affordabilty and lots and lots of fishing opportunity....
Cant hurt to sheck it out....

[Finprof]

Thinking southern Pa, or perhaps Maryland or Northern Va, near the Chesapeake..bob

If you don't like Winters think the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, particularly in Virginia. The Western Shore gets nailed with snow and cold weather but the Eastern Shore does not. The weather systems will dump snow on DC and Baltimore while the Eastern Shore gets rain because the system is moderated as it passes over the Bay. In Virginia near the Bay Bridge Tunnel there is good fishing year round.

The weather systems is why the Eastern Flyway for waterfowl winters there. Because of the lack of snow the geese and ducks can feed in the fields in January and February.

[bassnblues]

IMO. NC has it all...fluke, stripers, redfish, tarpon, sea trout, grouper, tuna....on and on.

Also great fresh water fishing for large mouth and trout in the mountains.

plus mild winters...

[shrimpman steve]

The question "would I move for the sake of fishing?"

Answer "I would kill my family for the sake of fishin":eek::D

Only kidding!!!!!!

[unclegary47]

Well I've done it twice so far and works for me. Moved to condo in Monmouth Beach On Shrewsberry river. Had 3 boats at dock. Was 4 blocks from Big Monmouth and Lil jetty. Then Shore replenishment ruined surf. Worked on condo and fished my boats til guy "made me $$$$$ offer I couldn't refuse". Moved to senior community Toms river 15 minutes from surf, 25 minutes Pt Pleasant boats , 1hr 20 minutes to Atl Highlands. Taxes under 3000 boat storage (dry) $650 year. Fixed this place REALLY up and when offer comes "headin for the KEYS"! Just gotta live long enuff!

Keep Fishin UNC

[Uncle Nicky]

Yes, not specifically for fishing, but that's going to be a big part of it. Looking at Eastern shore or Florida.