So, over the last 5 years or so, I've posted several times requesting people's opinions and advice about potential retirement areas in the mid-south for my wife and I.  I recently retired young from law enforcement and my wife will retire in the next several years from business.  I love the farm where we live now and love fishing in PA and NY for some outstanding walleye, perch, smallmouth, etc., BUT I get more and more frustrated and tired with winter weather here and I'd like to fish 12 months of the year.

 

After having investigated possibilities in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, we decided that the upstate region of South Carolina checked the most boxes for us and we just purchased a home with lake access on Keowee, to be used mostly from December to April, at least initially.   The real estate market is out of control in that area presently, but I think we found a place that was somewhat underpriced and while we couldn't afford lakefront in any reality there, we did get lake access in a quiet neighborhood, about mid-lake on the west side.

 

I love to fish and will surely fish Keowee a lot, but I'll also hit Jocassee and Hartwell at times and might occasionally sneak over towards Chatuge or Lanier.  I'll also fish the trout streams in South Carolina and North Carolina and try to take advantage of all of the other cool things that happen in that area (plus the climate).  I'll hike, hunt for mushrooms, maybe occasionally hunt deer, turkey or hogs or even try to find some wild quail somewhere in SC or Georgia.   I'll spend more time with my camera and will do things just because it pleases me to do them. 

 

So, I'd like to sincerely thank all of you who occasionally participate in the "what lake should I retire to" types of conversations here.  I don't doubt that SOME northerners can be a pain in the ass and that the locals in many of these states dread to see them coming, but I think we're going to fit in very well in the area and can't wait to start this new adventure.  Thank you.

Congrats! Lake Keowee is really nice. You might see me on the lake there this summer, when I get back home from work.

Congratulations!!! I see many big spotted bass in your future 

Thanks guys.  Remarkably, I've never actually fished on Keowee yet.  I've walked the shoreline in multiple places, seen a bunch of Spotted bass and panfish, I've been out on a boat on the lake, but I have yet to actually fish it.  We close on the house in a few weeks and an acquaintance has offered to take me fishing for a few hours one morning.  Since I won't tow my boat down there (only staying for several days and have too much work to do), I'll take him up on it and appreciate it greatly.  I have fished Lake Hartwell (once and it was a good day) and I've fished one of the local trout streams a couple of times, but I'm very much looking forward to this new chapter.

By the way, I won't be down there for any substantial length of time until most likely December or possibly even January, but at that point I'll have my boat and would be thrilled to take out anyone that knows the lake fairly well and especially the wintertime patterns for Spots or Crappie.   My boat's an 18 foot Smokercraft, well equipped, so while not a 70MPH bass boat, it's more than safe, comfortable and efficient for this style of fishing and for two or three guys.  Honestly, I've always considered finding fish and learning their patterns to be my strong suit, so I don't really anticipate too much trouble figuring things out, but a little bit of local knowledge never hurt either.

 

I'll probably at least occasionally venture over to Hartwell for Stripers, Hybrids and Crappie (bass too I guess) and will surely venture to Jocassee for Smallmouth and trout as well.