Keowee or Chatuge......

Thanks for the info.  I'll definitely fish Chatuge and Burton occasionally.  The good news is that I'll be there from December 1-April 30 most years, so fishing pressure won't be bad at all (at least not until March and April and even then I'll have the option of fishing mornings and midweek, so won't have any issues with pressure).  

I agree about lake prices.  It's utterly ridiculous in most of these areas and Keowee is on another level regarding pricing.  We weren't able to purchase lakefront property, just don't have that sort of money, but I'm really hopeful that there may be some sort of adjustment at some point and if we decide that we really like the area, I could see a scenario where it might be possible.   I actually like the area around Chatuge at least as much as the Keowee area, but there seem to be better services/amenities around Keowee.  I'll be close to the mountains and close enough to fish 7 or 8 different lakes without travelling too far, so I'm very excited to get down there later this fall.