If you were to recommend a home location near or on a lake for retirement/vacation home, where would it be and why?

The things that are important are (in order):



1. Long term fishing out look, 25 years of good fishing... gotta take me into my golden years.

2. Affordable living, sub 350k for home.

3. Large lake, that doesnt get extreme pressure or weeekend crowd

4. Does not have to be near a large city


My first thought was Falcon.

Pros:
great fishing
little pressure
love the small town feel

Cons:
Water level dependent
border security going forward
cant fish mexican side consistently (gillnets everywhere, security)

Thoughts?

In TX? Probably Toledo then Rayburn. Somewhere in between and you could fish both regularly.

Either between Rayburn and Tbend or NE Texas around Bullard/Whitehouse. I absolutely love Falcon, but there's no way I could live in Zapata full time.

Holbrook. Not too big…not too small. Minutes from Fork.

25 years? You retire at 30?

Something around Bob Sandlin/Cypress Springs area or the Graham/Breckenridge area. You are probably out of luck on The weekend crowd and pressure thing during the summer at most lakes these days. You can pretty much have the lake to yourself some weekdays though. Screw the border town mess.

vacation home until retirement, retire around 55?

between rayburn and tbend would get my vote

Lake Nacodoches.

Tyler area or Denton would be my choice..

I've got a place on (well really just off) Bob Sandlin. I bought it in 2004 knowing I would retire in 2017. Great location close to many other lakes and Bob Sandlin not bad either.

None of the above.

I'd go to the Bull Shoals area in Missouri.

Far enough from anywhere to keep the traffic down. The Corps has done a good job controlling development. Most of the lake is wilderness. Of course you're in the boonies. Minimal town stuff, negligible shopping, long way to an airport. The major lakes in the Ozarks are almost unfishable on the weekends during good weather. I left NE Texas a long time ago, but I'll bet the major lakes there are the same. Maybe way up NE Texas, toward Texarkana if you want to stay in Texas.

I retired in 2020. Just east of KC. Lots of good fishing here, but heavy traffic.

Personal discussion. I'm 77, retired in 2020. Good health, financially solvent. Family close by. Heck, they all live with me. Trust me, it matters. I would recommend caution buying for 2050. Things will look different.

I moved to Fork in '93 when I opened a fishing lodge here. I have bought and sold property here as well as building many custom and speculative houses since then. Also my wife is a realtor. So I can speak from experience. Here are my thoughts on your important list.
1) You don't have to fish on weekends when you live here. You'd be surprised how little pressure there is during most weeks.
2) Fork is a TPWD management priority.
3) Affordable living? There are plenty of homes in the area in your budget. Waterfront? Not unless it's an old house with issues. Most of those are tear downs out here. (Not sure you're not going to find that on many ETX lakes in this market)
4) We have a small town feel out here.

That golden years thing is a lie, I know I am 77. Most lake are not busy during the week days. I don't fish Lake Waco on the weekends, so yo can expand you search.

Bob Sandlin, but probably not waterfront.
Proximity to many great ETexas lakes.
I’d contact Dillon Lee for availability.