Yep, I'm done with snow/ice. Year-round anglers please come in.

PatriotX

PatriotX

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The Great Lakes area is a fantastic one. It has gorgeous forests, dunes, beaches, and Spring to Fall fishing. [I don't see the appeal of the hard-water fishing, since I don't drink. ;) ]

Winter, on the other hand, is growing less enjoyable by the year.


It's time to seek out (literal) greener pastures, and look at somewhere I can enjoy saltwater fishing year-round without needing to resort to Michelin Man-shaped clothing. I don't mind foul weather gear, but seven layers is for dip and burritos - not how one should dress for fishing ! :eek:


South Florida is the obvious pick, but I'm not sure if I still look good in the silk Tommy Bahama shirts. Central Florida on either coast has its draw as well, but offshore runs start to get lengthy (and spendy) as the continental shelf moves further from the coast.


Is Big Bend an option? Hatteras? Corpus Christi? The Bayou?


Anyone with an opinion, please chime in ! The snow is a'comin !
 
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I have to agree with you. I used to like winter when I was skiing but now it ranks right up there with a colonoscopy. I too have considered where I would go if I decided to leave Massachusetts.

My main problems are, floods, earthquakes, wild fires, mud slides, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, poisonous snakes and spiders and alligators.

That said, I have mountains within hours, beautiful sand dunes and blue ocean within hours and changing colored leaves in the Fall. If it weren't for the snow and crazy politicians, I would never leave here. :rolleyes:
 
Big Bend- probably not your best choice.
Florida - they got a lot of fishing!
All varieties of freshwater and saltwater.
Other places around the Gulf also good choices.
Just like always, you need to travel around down there and find the area that suits you best.
Get ready for heat, humidity and coachroaches so big they run off the mice!
 
Your right I went ice fishing to fish for the first time. I caught nothing. I asked guys who ice fish and they go ice fishing to eat and drink. Go figure I have those insulated clothes and boots to go out in 10 degree weather to grill dogs, burgers, steaks and drink. When I have the option of staying indoors hugging the woodstove cooking up some bacon and beans.
 
THE PILGRIM said:
Big Bend- probably not your best choice.
Florida - they got a lot of fishing!
All varieties of freshwater and saltwater.
Other places around the Gulf also good choices.
Just like always, you need to travel around down there and find the area that suits you best.
Get ready for heat, humidity and coachroaches so big they run off the mice!
Click to expand...


I did a spell in the Tampa Bay area a while back, and the Palmetto bugs are pretty impressive ! You can see them turn and look at you, right before they spread their wings and take off out of reach.
 
I absolutely love it here. Just completing my 37th summer. For the 1st 7, I worked heavy construction and that acclimated me nicely. Heat (never reaches 100 degrees) and humidity (99% some days) are just weather. I spend much time outdoors and have permanent "socks" to prove it. You can fish both fresh and saltwater almost anytime. I don't anymore as there are so many rules (seasons, size"slots", limits etc) that I quit to avoid the revenue enhancement squad known as FWC. Folks start calling around Thanksgiving to visit and you gotta spell out exactly how many days before their welcome expires. "C'mon down!" as Dan Dooley used to say for Northeast Airlines. Joe
 
Stuart/Ft. Pierce is a hot spot for all things boating. The blue water's about 10 miles out but you don't have to hit the gulfstream to get into the fish. Dolphin and Wahoo are fairly close to shore. Maybe 2 or 3 miles out in 60 feet.

Inlet fishing for Snook is fun and tasty too.

There's lots of fishing on the river for days that might be a little rough on ocean. Redfish, Trout and Snook.

If you really want to change it up a bit it's not hard to get to Lake Okeechobee and do a little crappie or bass fishing.

There's probably some wreck fishing up there too but I've never tried it there. If it's anything like Ft. Lauderdale about the only thing you get is Amber Jack. Good for a tough fight when your friends come down but I don't eat them. Some people do but I know how wormy they are. We call them Reef Donkeys.
 
Arizona may not offer up much in the way of salt water fishing, but it does treat you well during the "Winter".

This pic is from mid December last year!

DSCF1473.jpg
 
Hmm I like the ice and snow. Winter time in Montana, coyote hunting, snowmobiles, pinochle and crib tournaments, dinner parties with friends and family, ice fishing. The snow drifting in the air, the soft moan of the wind in the barren trees and the louder moans of Californians freezing.

Then the beauty of spring as the U Hauls, Benkins and Rider trucks load up Californians for their way back to where they belong.
 
I live on the southernmost point of the NC Outer Banks.
Love it, and most of the tourists exited Labor day weekend.
I'll be out chasing False Albacore (some call them 'Little Tunny') first thing in the morning.
Wife is from upstate NY, could never get her to go back.
 
PatriotX said:
I did a spell in the Tampa Bay area a while back, and the Palmetto bugs are pretty impressive ! You can see them turn and look at you, right before they spread their wings and take off out of reach.
Click to expand...
When we were in Tampa, my wife used to get freaked out by them. I told her not to think of them as palmetto bugs, but as "cute little palmetto dogs, no larger than your hand."
 
Silk shirts? SILK?

Man, you'll really be more comfy in Tommy Bahama shirts made of

100% Cotton. Consider if you will, Northern Florida, near the Gulf

of Mexico. Finding someplace inland enough to be away from coastal

flooding might be in order.
 
You can get a lotta bang for your buck in Glades County Fl near Lake Okeechobee. I've had a fish camp in Moore Haven since 1986 and currently have it on the market. 30 years of back and forth have become tiresome and maintaining a part time place has become a chore. Louisville winters aren't usually that bad (but I have walked on the Ohio River when it was frozen solid). :eek:

No way I could live in Florida year round but it is sweet in Jan, Feb and I do recommend Glades Co and Moore Haven. Great central location and low traffic/population. Turn back the clock as this is Florida like it used to be. Ya gotta be healthy though because good doctors are an hour away. There are clinics and emergency care available but anything requiring a specialist is an hour or two away with Ft Myers being the closest. West Palm is about an hour and a half.
 
We have the humid heat but the further south you go on the east coast the better the ocean breeze. Not so much on the left coast.

Most times you look at the summer highs on the news we seem to be cooler than the rest of the country.

Remember its humid in the summer. That makes a difference.

The other six months of the year we live in paradise when others are preparing for and then dealing with winter.

Swimming in a pool in December it great and so is cooking outside.

Then there's the Hurricanes. I don't let them concern me much. I know when to bail.

One of the our best Christmas Feast ever was smoked swordfish.
 
Oh, yeah, speaking of Florida, I've stopped buying

blued guns entirely. Stainless Steel, Nickel, Cerakote, Durakote,

whatever.
 
PatriotX said:
No offense to the landlocked, or those suggesting the Big O - after living on the Big Lake, I realized a need to be near saltwater.


Hmmm...maybe some more stainless Smiths are in order.
Click to expand...

Salt water opens up a whole new adventure in fishing. But also realize that it tears up your boat, motor trailer if you have one. The corrosion and internal wear is non stop!

Florida has some of the best freshwater (Bass) fishing in the World, Offshore fishing is for the rich these days.

In case no one mentioned it, its HOT and HUMID.;)
 
I live in the mitten as well. I don't like winter as much as I did when I was younger but no way could I deal with the heat in Florida in the summer. It was too hot for me here in Michigan a lot of days this summer. There is open water around the state pretty much 10 months a year. I usually put my boat away around Christmas and can usually get it back out in March. If I was going to consider the south I would look into renting something Jan-Feb then come back home.
 
Having lived in the south for 63 years you can get just as tired of heat and humidity as you can snow and cold. With apologies to the Florida lovers I would not live there as a ghost. Hurricanes, no seasons change to amount to much and never ending warm. Not for me. Saltwater well you can't even drink it.
 
Hard to fathom a serious fisherman desiring to leave Michigan in seek of greener pastures, considering the world class trout streams, salmon that rival the coasts', the world's greatest perch and walleye fishery, 50-inch class musky fishing, abundant smallmouth, largemouth and everything in between.

In any case, got any vintage classic Michigan-produced fishing gear you'll no longer need you'll be looking to part with? Tackle, spearing decoys, etc.? ;)
 
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