Retirement at the lake

I am considering retiring in a couple of years. Any suggestions on a good lake to retire on? Looking for a lake within 2 or 3 hours of DFW. I would like a lake with good all around fishing and recreational activities for the kids. Thanks.

I like Fork.. ...living the dream.
had about 40 Crappie today, we were just cruising around looking at new spots.
All were returned, wife even caught a 6 pound bass, that's always fun.
I still keep a place in the city, but here about 4-5 days a week in summer.
jim

Good luck, trying to get my wife to pick a lake for a retirement home.

We picked Granbury. Can get pretty crowded but lots of homes to choose from. Fishing can be poor to great like any other lake. HWY 377 is a disaster traffic wise and I doubt they have any plan to fix it making it frustrating. Otherwise, I really like it. We’re in Lubbock so west side of DFW was a requirement

We like Lake Athens.

From our home, it is 65 miles to the south part of the 635 loop in Dallas, about 3 1/2 hours to the Energy Corridor in west Houston, a little less than 2 hours to west Fort Worth. Oh! and about 30 minutes into Tyler.

Within 30 minutes to an hour or so, if you like to move around some to fish: Purtis Creek, Tawakoni, Lake Fork, Lake Palestine, Richland Chambers, Cedar Creek, Neches and Trinity rivers, Tyler lakes (multiple), Fairfield . . . the list is actually too long to remember them all.

Too, about 10" more annual rain historically than Fort Worth (where we are from) and much less frequent drought effects on lakes than, for sure, west of D/FW. Some lakes during the last drought dried up very, very badly in different spots. I'd do a bit of research regarding this.

Oh! And, there are some cool little lakes like Callendar Lake near Canton, gated, small and really beautiful. Lots are still available in there to build something new if that is a consideration.

Lots of great lakes!

Brad

Do all the tournaments on Fork cause a problem?

Bridgeport. That’s where I’ll retire. Good fishing almost all year for all kinds of fish. Boat traffic only on weekends. Was out there today and not many at all.

Texoma, huge lake, has all species of fish, only downside is it is rare to have a dock below your home, we have a slip a couple minutes from the house so not too bad.

Probably out of my price range but if I picked one today it would be Lake Nacogdoches.

Everyone is different but here's my take. I like to fish but my wife does not. For me to retire to a lake it had to be something that had interest for her. We looked at lots of places including Texoma, Whitney and even Bull Shoals in Arkansas. We chose Possum Kingdom. PK is a tough fishing lake for those who do not fish it all the time. That said, I catch lots of big fish here and that will be the case for any lake you fish ALL the time. More important was the fact my wife can be happy here as well. My reasons for Choosing PK:

1. The lake is gorgeous. Prettiest lake in Texas with water so clear they used to teach scuba here.


2. My wife likes her pet deer.


3. The fishing is pretty good. Excellent for stripers and OK for Bass and Crappie.


4. Very few Mosquitoes. I can sit on my Balcony or be on the lake at night and never see a Mosquito. When I fish Lake Fork, I have to leave the lake early or be feasted on by legions of hungry Mosquitoes.

5. Had to be close to the Metroplex so we could go back to my second home in Allen and buy Groceries.

6. The lake is extremely private during the week. Unlike Texoma or Fork, there is almost zero boat traffic on PK during the week.

7. The high cliffs downlake make a nice view with spectacular sunsets.

PKFishin,

I've considered PK for many of the same reasons. However, I've not fished it regularly, but now intend to do so. Is there a marina where I can rent a boat slip by the day and also has rooms/cabins? I've started surfing the net, but thought you might be able to recommend as a resident.

Thanks,

Gulf of Mexico

Lake Guntersville for me. Unlimited fishing opportunities thanks to the Tennessee River. Lower property taxes are an added bonus.

Nauticstar: At the cliffs you can use the courtesy dock if you rent a condo or a hotel room. I don't know if they have slip rental by day. I know they have plenty open so they should do it.

Fishin Nut: Lower property taxes is a good reason to leave Texas and Alabama would be a nice choice . Was one of the big reasons I considered going to Arkansas. Hard to get my Texas wife to live in Arkansas though. Taxes on my lake house and residence in Allen are about what the average person makes in a year. These property tax rates will make it very difficult for most people to retire in Texas without working a part time job.

Consider near lake properties, not on the water.

PKFishin,

Thanks for the input on the Cliffs. I'll check them out.

Depends on how old you are and what your health is.

Retired on lake holbrook 15 yrs ago.

life is good.

I like our place on our cove at tawakoni. Live in a nice neighborhood and we help each other out. And yes, I am still working part time

Lake Jacksonville. Jacksonville TX or Lake Tyler

We love our place on Whitney . Juniper Cove area - NOT the marina , we use Harbor Master for our slip . Really nice neighbors . Love the town as well . Low taxes , power and water .

I would like Bob Sandlin. It is connected to Monticello and Cypress Springs and not far from a lot of other lakes including Fork. Fun fishing a lot of different ways and not a hard lake to get around and nice scenery.

If you can wait a 4-5 years; the Lower Bois d' Arc Creek Reservoir might be a good option

NauticStar,
You can also try this for a place to rent a cabin/boat slip on PK:

Fox Hollow Resort on PK

They have a restaurant with pretty good food and a cantina with live music on the weekends.

I have been thinking alot about Bob Sandlin. Cypress Springs also. It looks like the water level is constant on both. Is there much boat traffic during the week?

I would vote Bob Sandlin as well. I have a place right off the lake. Much more affordable than on the water but subdivision has a private boat ramp so I can be on the lake in about 5 minutes. Traffic on the lake during the week is very light. Weekends get busier. Good bass, crappie, catfish and sandies fishing.

If you are a fisherman, I would stay away from Cypress Springs. Loaded with jet fleas, wake boarders and go fast type boats. During the week, not as bad but still an issue.

Water levels are not constant on Sandlin or Cypress Springs. Cypress springs will only dump into Sandlin when the lake is overfull (spillway into Sandlin). Several cities get their water from Sandlin so it will drop in the summer. Now that the Monticello plant is closed, they will not be pumping water out of Sandlin and into Monticello to keep it artificially full. We'll see how that positively effects Sandlin this summer.

Yes, what Allen Bass Fisher said. Bob Sandlin just doesn't seem to have all of the crazy people around the lake and is not overpopulated so it always seems to be a really lazy laid back atmosphere. It has always been my favorite lake to night fish for bass also. And Los Pinos Winery is right down the road in Pittsburg, Tx.

I picked Hubbard Creek. Three reasons, the fishing is good, the boat traffic is low compared to other lakes and it is close to my grandkids.
There were about 50 boats on the lake July 4 and Memorial Day and of those 90% were fishermen. Only about 5 or 6 wake boats and maybe 10 jet fleas. During the week it is like having a private lake.
Also the taxes are low here.
The trick to HC is to make sure and find a place in the deeper water. The lake does fluctuate.

Only 10 jet fleas! That just ain't right. You need to take your fair share.

I bet all 10 were doing doughnuts around some poor feller trying to fish...

Yep the 4 wake boats and 9 of the jet fleas though being 50 foot from my dock was the best place on the lake to be!

Richland Chambers has great populations of sand bass,hybrids crappie, bass, catfish and is really not that crowded with boat traffic. Only downside is that the area is not very built up with shopping or businesses. 20 to 30 minute drive to grocery stores in Corsicana or Fairfield. We have considered Lake Palestine. It's a beautiful lake with good bass and crappie fishing. Plenty of top notch Medical Care facilities, restaurants and shopping in nearby Just minutes away in Tyler.

You can Say that again,2008 My Father passed away leaving me a water front home on Cedar Creek , being a weekender after five years of property taxes and insurance had to sell and get a place 100 yards from the water, Waterfront property taxes here in Henderson county are really high, many folks who did plan to retire on the water are having to sell,If and when you buy do your homework on the property taxes

Funny, I moved up here to Henderson County from Bastrop County because the property tax rates are soooo much lower here. We are paying an effective rate of .0131 after the normal exemptions for a full time residence. Sure, if you have a $1 million home that would be $13,000 per year, but our waterfront home cost a third of that.

Importantly, our part of the lake is in the Eustace school district - who treats us well in terms of taxes. The wealthier Enchanted Oaks/Enchanted Isle neighborhoods are also within in their boundaries so they have plenty of cash flow.

On a side note, my battery warehouse in town has a Mabank address, but is outside of city limits so I only have to collect 6.25% in sales tax. When competing with with other suppliers on large battery banks, that 2% is meaningful!

Marc

This is the area we are looking into in a year or so. It help's the grand kids already live in Whitney.
I have a place on Texoma close to Sherwood Shores, cor property area but I don't want retire to that area.

Thanks for all the feedback.

One additional comment:

Having a private dock, boathouse and launching ramp at a lakefront home was an important part of my selection process.

That ruled out several VERY nice lakes owned by the Corp of Engineers, because they do not allow individual private docks. May not be important to some folks, but it is to me.

Marc

PK...……..

Just curious...why didn't anyone mention Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn?

It's not within a couple of hours of DFW.

We chose Livingston 40 years ago and started building. We managed to acquire three adjoining properties through the years. It’s a nice place on a hill overlooking the water.

Here's what we did. I retired 7 years ago and was kinda undecided on what lake to retire on, but we new it would be in the Lake Fork area or the Northeast Texas general area. We had fished most of the lakes in that area for 35 years or so and decided that that would be it for us. All that said we chose the town of Winnsboro, Texas instead of living on a lake and have enjoyed it more than I could ever imagine. I won't go on any more but look on a Texas Parks and Wildlife map and look at all the fantastic lakes with in 50 miles of Winnsboro, its a paradise, and Winnsboro is a super small town to live in. Good luck.

it may be a little farther then you wanna go but Tenkiller Oklahoma is a great lake and has VERY affordable property around it.

it may be a little farther then you wanna go but Tenkiller Oklahoma is a great lake and has VERY affordable property around it.

Like Jim Sr said it can only be Lake Fork if you are in it for the excellent fishing.

OUR taxes are .09


Like the guy from PK said once you get to know the lake it is easier. And because of our slot an angler can catch his share of 4-7 lb bass on a regular basis with the occasional 8=9=10-11-12-13 thrown in. Maybe even a 15. Happened again last year. Crappies yes sir, catfish yes sir. Stripers not ever. Sorry.


Fork has very little traffic from jet skis and boom-boom boats. In the summer at night instead of drunken parties we have dedicated bass fishermen.


Lake Fork area also has a very active social climate. Lake Fork Sportsman's Assoc very active doing thins around the lake for it's residents and environment. Four little cities within 10 minutes with shopping.


One thing I have learned being retired at the lake is if you do not set aside the time to go fishing each week your wife will have you doing "honey-do's" until you are to old to fish. We have Thursday set aside.

Fork is a good fishing lake. I fish it some from my home in the metroplex. However, the downside I see is this:

1. What if your wife is not a fisherman?
It's not a lake for swimming
It's flat there and no view of cliffs or mountains.

2. Mosquitoes in the evening at fork are legendary

3. Fork boating at night is not for the faint at heart. In fact it could easily be deadly.

4. While no jet ski's some bass guys with 350 HP boats might be worse. I never cease to be amazed as my little 12 foot catamaran is bounced up and down by monster waves created by some guy in a over powered bass boat that idles through the no wake zone at the bridge then takes off full throttle creating a tsunami for everyone tied up at the bridge to deal with.

5. Gators - Some very big Alligators at fork.

I ACTUALLY don't know of anyone that has a 350 on a bass boat.

If not a swimming lake what do you suppose all of those diving boards coming off the docks are for?

Yes we have a few gators. And some big ones. But they pretty much hang out in the few creeks that are seen in. AS far as I know there has never been an attack on anybody's dog, let along grand child. However feeding them is not a good idea.


You mean to say that PK has no mosquitoes? Yes we have no cliffs to speak of. But there is plenty to do if you are the kind of person that would be interested in helping the environment, the residents. the children, the local high schools, the fair, the parades, the local fire departments, and all kinds of other activities that are always going on around the lake and the area.


Two weeks ago we "planted 24 man made structures" that we built with materials supplied by TPWD. This is the fourth time we have done this. Last Tuesday we planted two big boat loads of aquatic grasses into the lake that have been grown with the assist of the kids in the Ag class at Yantis HS, we a cooperative agreement between them, TPWD and the LFSA. This November will be the 5th year we plant button bushes grown by the kids. IN May we assisted TPWD in dispersing 300,000 largemouth bass fry throughout the lake. The second year for that.


Plus there are all kinds of service organizations in the area to get involved with.


Want to try some low key tournament fishing? We got it. Or some high stakes tournament fishing with prizes up to $75,000 for non=pros. We got that too.


But yes just like the rest if the south, northeast, Canada and everywhere else I have ever been we have mosquitoes.

I made a mistake on our county tax rate. It is .635.

PK is going to be the next Lake Travis with all the traffic included. Give me Fork any day. I have fished Fork maybe 100 times in my lifetime. 5 times I met a B.A.S.S. Master Elite fisherman. Each time was completely awesome. Not too many lakes will give you that opportunity just by accident.

I think Fork is a great fishing lake. The only thing that might steer me away would be too many tournaments. Is this not a problem for the average fisherman?

when you are retired you don't have to fish on the weekends. I sure don't.