GANGGREEN

By way of an update, my wife and I just purchased a place with lake access on Keowee. I'm pretty thrilled about the possibilities. I'll post a new thread on the forum about the life event.

Thanks. I can probably live with 40s and 50s and some rain, but I'm not sure my wife would be as happy as I was. I'm aware of the drawdowns on most of the TVA lakes and I'm aware that many private docks become high and dry in the winter (or get removed), but is there good public access on all of them where you can still reach the water and launch a boat? Fishing still good? The real estate market is just insane in South Carolina right now, plus they treat seasonal vacation homes differently than permanent homes and the property tax is higher, but I'm still leaning in that direction, largely because of the weather, but also the lakes and the nearby communities. We really like Keowee Lake and the town of Clemson (like the cost a lot less though, at least recently).

For you guys who are familiar with Tellico, Melton Hill, Norris, Cherokee and Douglas, what's your winter weather like? I'm mostly interested in using this as a seasonal home, probably from December through April or thereabouts, so I'd like to know that it's warm enough in the winter to fish comfortably and that the lakes, even if drawn down, are still accessible and fishable.

Thanks Koz. I actually missed this because I had been away for a while, but I appreciate the input. For what it's worth, the lowcountry just isn't as appealing to me as the upstate area. I'm used to mountains, extremely rural areas and less oppressive summertime heat, so that's what I'm concentrating on. At least for the next few years, if we get a place it will be seasonal and only during the winter months, so even the summer heat isn't that much of a consideration to me, although we may wish to use the place as a rental during the months that we're not there. One of the reasons why I'm looking at this area though, versus parts of Tennessee or North Carolina, is the quick access to the lowcountry and especially the tidal rivers and saltwater fishery. Being within 3-4 hours is good enough for me. We'll see, my search continues and I do think I'm going back to SC for at least several days, maybe as soon as next week. Have to get some personal business taken care of first. Actually considered Tellico, but real estate seemed pretty high, at least when I looked. Our requirements have changed a little and I may start looking at eastern TN again though. As I've mentioned, we intend to use the place as a winter home, so having reasonable weather is really important and obvious what's reasonable is a relative thing depending on your background and perspective. For me, wintertime highs in the 50 degree range are fine (with really nice days around 60 and temps in March threatening 70), so that upstate SC area seems to fit the bill really well. (And, in fairness, real estate anywhere near the lakes in Oconee or Pickens County SC seems high right now too. According the real estate people we've talked with, the market is really hot right now with low inventory and enormous demand, so not the best time for us to be looking).

Ah, I see. I think he's at Oconee now, right? Hopefully if he has input he can advise. I had spoken to him previously about Oconee briefly as well.

Thanks Smalliefan2, I actually live really close to Olean (30-35 minutes) and know it well. I wasn't aware that Chatuge was drawn down in the winter and that matters a lot to me because we'd mostly use the house during the wintertime. Thanks for the info. If I did get a slip at a local marina, I'd presume that I could still use it even at drawdown? Hawg, I'm all ears. By the way, what were your thoughts about Anderson? I have an acquaintance who lives there and he likes it, but the only time we drove anywhere near there, I thought it was too congested for my taste and not as pretty as the areas closer to the mountains. I've had a few people tell me that Pendleton is a nice town and I may check that out when I'm down again (possibly as soon as next week).

So I've been looking for that near perfect retirement area for a long time, have even posted some threads here on the forum asking advice and input. My wife and I are actually getting closer to making something happen. The goal is a smallish cottage (2 BR, 1200 square feet would be good, could be a bit larger or a bit smaller depending on price, location, etc. etc.) within 10-15 minutes of a good fishing lake and close enough to shopping, restaurants, health care that you didn't ever really need to travel too far. It has to be in an area where I can fish straight through the winter as the goal is to escape northern Pennsylvania winters for 3-4 months of the year, so PA, NY, VT, MI, MN, etc. won't work. I've done tons of online and video research and have visited areas in MO, AR, TN and NC. We just got back after a short 4-5 day trip to Oconee and Pickens Counties, SC and we both really like the area, the climate, etc. etc.. Keep in mind that I mostly fish clear, deep, northern waters for smallmouth (and walleye and yellow perch), so places like Keowee or Jocassie don't scare me as I feel that I can figure them out and catch fish there. As I said, we really liked the area, but it seems that there's been a recent spike in real estate prices, not to mention that South Carolina charges non-residents 3X on their property tax versus a resident. Given that they require 12 months consecutive domicile within the state to be considered a resident, I don't really ever see it happening. So, I'm probably going back in a week or so to explore some more, maybe fish a bit and check out a new area. I've previously been to Haysville, NC, really a lovely, lovely place, and I've driven past Lake Chatuge, but I've never fished it or really explored in Haysville or Hiawassee to determine what sort of communities that they are. Just curious what people's thoughts are about this extreme NE corner of GA, the extreme NW corner of SC and which lake or lakes you'd prefer, which communities are the nicest and where we might find a really clean, attractive home/condo for less than a bazillion bucks. Thanks in advance.

I appreciate the local insights. I'm researching and thinking about potential seasonal retirement spots and this one's fairly high on the list.

Thanks for all of the information DanielG and no, it wasn't more information than I wanted. I do a lot of other woodworking type stuff (build flintlock rifles and turkey calls, have carved a few fish and duck decoys, small furniture building, picture frames, etc.) so I have lots of wood on hand, including white pine, basswood and poplar. I've only shaped a dozen baits so far and have to say that the poplar was slightly harder to handle than the basswood, but gave a better finished product because it tends not to have that fuzziness like basswood (or especially balsa). I'm going to try to get 15 or 20 baits ready for our open water season and I won't get a chance to swim them until then, although I can obviously float them in the sink or something.

Congratulations. Maybe I'll actually make that visit sometime late fall/winter of 2021.

Spotted bass bite or a good largemouth bite as well? Wouldn't surprise me to see a few smallmouth as well, although nothing like what I'm used to. Any hybrids or stripers in the lake? Good luck Koz.

Canandaigua is a beautiful lake, although it gets quite busy in the summertime, especially on weekends. There was a strange Smallmouth die-off there a number of years ago and while the smallies have come back strong, I don't know that you're going to find very large numbers of big smallies there yet (they'll be back) but I fished it some last year and have honestly never seen so many small Smallmouth bass on a lake anywhere in my life. I mean, there are millions upon millions of 1, 2 and 3 year old bass in that lake and it should provide really good fishing in the near future. The Yellow perch fishing will also be very good at that time of year, though they'll be post-spawn and probably not schooled up as tightly as they get at certain times of year (pre-spawn and late fall/winter) and Canandaigua is filled with nice perch. Keep in mind that the lake is crystal clear and requires techniques to match, but you can finesse fish and catch both Smallmouth, Largemouth and Yellow perch interchangeably. Really, any of the other Finger Lakes can be good at that time of year as well. I don't like to burn spots and won't suggest which are my favorites (I'm odd that way), but you can quite literally fish any of them and catch fish.

I'll be following. My son has a degree in hospitality and has worked near there. I've encouraged him to stay in that country because I rather like the idea of retiring to western NC, eastern TN, northern GA or northern SC, but he's left the hospitality field for other ventures. I'm still considering the area and would actually like to visit a resort area on the lake soon and will likely do so when the Covid insanity cools off a bit. I'm curious to learn what you find out and wouldn't mind knowing what hotel (PM me if you're comfortable doing so).

Question for those of you making wooden crankbaits. I just decided to give it a try and I'm curious about wood choice. I have Basswood and Poplar on hand, which I presume will be acceptable choices, but what are you all using and what have you learned while experimenting? I've seen some lovely Cedar baits posted here, but I'm curious if it's just an easy wood to work or if it has characteristics which are especially appealing. I've seen videos online of a maker who uses curly maple and they were attractive baits while giving some detail and clear-coated, but obviously Sugar maple is quite a bit more dense and harder than the above species of wood. I have curly maple, curly ash, cherry, walnut, etc. on hand as well, but presumed that they wouldn't be top choices.

I don't have a ton of experience on Conesus, but I recently put a camper on the lake and have been fishing it most weekends this year. You mentioned that you think that the bass are in transition and I suspect that you're right. I'm still catching enough fish in skinny water on finesse baits that I haven't really started to punch around the weeds, but I suspect that you'll start finding a good dock bite on bright sunny days and should start finding them on deep weed edges and standard baits. I also haven't caught or even lost a big smallmouth in a week or two, so I suspect that they're dropping deep. I've lost two big fish this spring/summer (one 6-7 pound green fish and a smallmouth that was probably 5+ and post-spawn), have caught several good fish (3-4 pounders) and lots of 1-2 pound fish, but haven't really had a fantastic day yet for them. I've also caught some pike, walleye and big panfish, so I'm not complaining really, just expect a more repeatable pattern to develop soon, if it hasn't already.

I have a nice 18 foot multi-species rig that would be fine for bass, striper, trout or anything else in those lakes. My intention is also to be there primarily during the winter months, so I'd presume that I'll miss at least some of the high pressure you see on the lakes during spring, summer and fall. I appreciate everyone's input. As for the lowcountry, it's just not my cup of tea. Like I mentioned, I'm interested in a seasonal retirement home and I simply have to be in a rural area, near the lakes and mountains. I've been in the Highlands area of North Carolina, which isn't very far away and it's just beautiful. My wife and I spent some time in Charleston this year for the SEWE festival and had a great time and really liked the area. I'll do it again, but for a short vacation, not for a permanent residence. Might be perfect for some folks, but like I said before, I need to be at least within striking distance of the mountains.

I've already used the search function and have read all of the appropriate threads. I tend to do this every year or three in my search for a seasonal retirement home in the mid-south. We've looked at the Ozarks (I like it very well, my wife not as much), eastern TN, western NC (I like eastern TN, my wife is neutral about it and we haven't really found the exact area that we both like) and now I'm looking at northern/western SC. I've done some searching for real estate near or on Lakes Jocassee, Keowee, Hartwell and Greenwood and property values and property tax seem reasonable (although I understand that non-resident homeowners pay a higher property tax rate than residents, which doesn't really make sense to me). Obviously I'm looking for great fishing. I love multi-species fishing and would have to say that smallmouth, yellow perch and walleye are probably my favorites species to pursue, but I like largemouth, crappie and white bass and presume that I'd really love fishing for spots and stripers (I've caught both, but never in large numbers). I have an 18 foot multi-species rig with a 115 Yamaha, but wouldn't rule out swapping that out, so I'd be good to go on almost any lake. I also enjoy trout fishing, especially on the better tailwater stretches. Almost as important as the fishing is the quality and standard of life though. I'm retired at age 55 (just retired in September and I'm loving life), my wife hopes to retire within the next several years. We like privacy and a mostly rural atmosphere and presently live basically in the woods on 100+ acres, but as we get older, the idea of good shopping, good restaurants, some culture and possibly continuing education at a university and health care become more and more important to us. I don't need or want to live IN town, but I think I'd prefer to be within 20 minutes of so of a town that provides all of what we'd like to have. I'm thinking Clemson would be a nice town and about the right size, but I simply don't know the area. I also love to hunt (or at least I used to) and have English setters, but hunting is less important to me as I get older. Being within a couple of hours of a public spot to pursue wild quail would be awesome and I'm not sure you can do that anymore. If I'd chase anything else, it would probably be spring gobbler. I don't care about deer much anymore and have plenty on my northern property anyway. Ideally, I'd also like to be in the foothills or at least within striking distance to the mountains and some nicer areas to camp, hike, trout fish, etc.. There's a similar thread from several years ago, but I didn't want to post there and thought I'd ask for anyone's thoughts again, just in the event that things are changing with the area or the fisheries. Responses and advice are greatly appreciated, so thanks in advance.

Yep, I love those beautiful TN lakes and very may end up there, at least seasonally before I'm done, but the smallmouth fishing up north is really hard to beat. Admittedly, I've never caught an 8 or 9 pounder, but I can't imagine there are many/any southern guys who have caught as many 4s, 5s and 6s as I have in northern waters (and I watched a buddy catch a 7 LB 4 OZ fish in one of my spots this spring). They're fun and beautiful most anywhere though.

OK, got it, the wife's were that burlap type stuff, which worked and was light, but it was odd.

You happy enough with the Frogg Toggs? I've never had them, but I purchased a pair for my wife years ago. They've been waterproof, but the surface of the fabric has roughed up for lack of a better term.

True, but coming from a guy who's used to it, stepping on your own pants constantly is no fun, in a boat or elsewhere. As a guy that's typically only purchased stuff that was on closeout or something, I'm finally prepared to purchase myself a decent set of rain gear and I'd like for it to fit properly.

Hemming won't work well for any pants with a zipper and it would even become problematic for those with a velco closure (although you could just move the Velcro strap as well). I haven't been able to try them on because I don't have anywhere nearby that sells Simms raingear (or really any other high end stuff). If anyone has any recommendations for bibs that tend to run short, I'm all ears. For what it's worth, I'm not a tiny little elf, I'm 5'7" or 5'8" but I do have a short inseam.

I'm due to replace my 25 year old Columbia rain pants and want to do quality bibs this time. The problem that I've got is that I have a very short inseam (I wear 29" inseam jeans and less than that for dress slacks) and most of the rain gear I'm seeing online are a universal length (typically 31"). I don't want the bibs to bunch up at my ankle and even if I was willing to tailor them, I'd think a zipper or a Velcro closure would almost make that impossible. I'm looking at the Simms Challengers, which claim an adjustable hem, but I'm guessing that means that they'll be rolled up and cinched with a Velcro strap, thereby making me look like a kid wearing his big brother's hand me downs. Any input or suggestions?

Curious how most of you rig them, with the hook inline with the spade tail or at a 90 degree angle, aka flat.

Thanks again. I'm actually really excited about getting the camper there and potentially having the opportunity to fish it 10 or 15 times next year. I used to have a camper near Keuka and Canandaigua, which are also productive and fun lakes, but I get the impression that they probably don't offer the same quality of warm water fishing as Conesus (particularly for largemouth). Like I said, pretty excited and looking forward to next year already. I'll make a scouting trip or two this fall to see what I can remember or learn about the lake.