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

[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

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.