# If you were 19 again...



## NCinq (Nov 18, 2014)

Hello Fellow Anglers,

My son has an opportunity to work from home...ANYWHERE in the world and he wants to live in the northern lower peninsula so he can fish all varieties of fish, mainly in streams and live in a cabin right on the river.

He's asked my opinion, but I only know so much and I don't want the boy to make decisions just on my knowledge.

If you could go back to age 19....what river would you live on and why? and if you could get specific on locations and species, please do!

Thanks for all the help!


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## RobW (Dec 6, 2012)

I'd live seault ste marie...


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Florida Keys....


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## Rysalka (Aug 13, 2008)

Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore. Great sea food, fishing. Close to great entertainment, resturant.


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## omni22 (Feb 3, 2010)

What's your son do lol?


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## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

If he wants to stay in Northern Michigan, I'd live in TC. You got the Boardman right there, the Platte and Elk are 30 minutes away, the Betsey is close and so is the Big Man. 
There is a lot of night life too. 

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## DXT Deer Slayer (Nov 14, 2009)

Let's see here. I AM 19 years old, but going on 65. An old soul. Not quite as fast as I used to be. LOL.

I'm a huge fan of the East side, but taking into consideration other factors besides just fishing, the Northwest LP is a good bet. I'd gladly move somewhere _close_ to Traverse City, but not in it. Dealing with that traffic everyday would make me want to hurt a baby panda - and I love Pandas.

Plenty of river fishing opportunities for silver fish in the area. Lots of smaller water within a short drive, and the Big Manistee not too bad of a trip either. Great access to a number of larger and smaller harbor towns, with superb offshore fishing, although the dynamics of that may be changing in the near future, depending on who you talk to. Several excellent trout streams offer opportunities for resident trout fishing, some are common knowledge, others are kept pretty tight-lipped.

Lots of people to meet and trouble to cause in Traverse City, and Petoskey, if that's your thing. The Northwest side of the state will always be wealthier than the Northeast, namely because of the greater diversity in agricultural/horticultural crop production due to Lake Michigan's climate effects. The area also draws a large touristy crowd in the summer months, with several crystal clear lakes being ideal for those that enjoy water sports, irresponsible boat operation, etc. The Torch Lake sandbar comes to mind.

That's perhaps why I'm madly in love with the Northeast. Lots of the same opportunities for natural resource recreation, minus the huge crowds, traffic, and general over-commercialization of the 'up north' experience. But that's coming from a 19 year old that doesn't quite fit into many normal categories.

Sorry for the ramblin'! After all that nonsense I'd still say that near Traverse City is a great place to live if you want to stay in the Northern Lower Peninsula. Staying in Michigan is the way to go..... the only other place I would move to is Alaska.


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## Tracker Targa (Jul 17, 2008)

omni22 said:


> What's your son do lol?


Ya very interested what does your son do? Pm if needed lol


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

DXT Deer Slayer said:


> Let's see here. I AM 19 years old, but going on 65. An old soul. Not quite as fast as I used to be. LOL.
> 
> I'm a huge fan of the East side, but taking into consideration other factors besides just fishing, the Northwest LP is a good bet. I'd gladly move somewhere _close_ to Traverse City, but not in it. Dealing with that traffic everyday would make me want to hurt a baby panda - and I love Pandas.
> 
> ...


Great post! You're a good man in my book bro...


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## triplelunger (Dec 21, 2009)

The Columbia River in washington/Oregon. Unbelievable. Salmon and steelhead fishing is amazing, and you can have a run in with a 6 foot sturgeon. 
Elk hunting in the mountains as well. 
The pacific northwest is the most beautiful part of our country (besides the UP)
South west Alaska wouldn't be a bad choice either. 

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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

If I was him, I would ask my dad for a loan  I would then go spend a week or more in BC, and a week or more in alaska, and then make up my mind between either of those, or nw Michigan


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## RobW (Dec 6, 2012)

triplelunger said:


> The Columbia River in washington/Oregon. Unbelievable. Salmon and steelhead fishing is amazing, and you can have a run in with a 6 foot sturgeon.
> Elk hunting in the mountains as well.
> The pacific northwest is the most beautiful part of our country (besides the UP)
> South west Alaska wouldn't be a bad choice either.
> ...


I thought he was limited to Michigan, but hey, how about the Olympic Peninsula? I'd get a place outside Sequim... never gets too hot, or too cold, more sunshine than the mainland, a short boat ride to Victoria, and you have the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, and Hoh to learn...


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## triplelunger (Dec 21, 2009)

RobW said:


> I thought he was limited to Michigan, but hey, how about the Olympic Peninsula? I'd get a place outside Sequim... never gets too hot, or too cold, more sunshine than the mainland, a short boat ride to Victoria, and you have the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, and Hoh to learn...


Any where in the world
I thought about that a bit, and New Zealand would be cool!
I hear there is tremendous trout fishing in Ireland as well. 


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

RobW said:


> I thought he was limited to Michigan, but hey, how about the Olympic Peninsula? I'd get a place outside Sequim... never gets too hot, or too cold, more sunshine than the mainland, a short boat ride to Victoria, and you have the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, and Hoh to learn...


I might opt for the nearby mainland, but basically this is where I'd go. Tacoma, Seattle, etc. Forks, WA is a pretty cool place. I didn't see any vampires, or werewolves when I was there; but the fishing opportunities were astounding. It is a dream of mine to catch a big wild buck Hoh river Steelhead.


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## MichiganStreamside (Jan 19, 2014)

Shocking nobody has said Foote Site Village yet! You could walk to the Au Sable. LOL


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## NCinq (Nov 18, 2014)

WOAH...overwhelming response from everyone. Thank You.

I maybe left a little bit of the equation out.... My son will live in this cabin for couple years, then move on to wherever and this cabin wil eventually be my retirement.

So let me reword the question: "If you could go back to age 19....what river would you live on in NORTH EASTERN MICHIGAN, in what city and why? and if you could get specific on locations and species, please do!

THANKS GUYS (and girls)


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I live at higgins lake. Can be on the Ausable, manistee or Muskegon in a half hour......

Sadly out northern economy is dieing, except for T.C. which was largely unefected by the economic crash. And it is a fabulous city.

Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim....Somewhere close to traverse city.


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## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

NCinq said:


> WOAH...overwhelming response from everyone. Thank You.
> 
> I maybe left a little bit of the equation out.... My son will live in this cabin for couple years, then move on to wherever and this cabin wil eventually be my retirement.
> 
> ...


If I were to move to the NE portion of the State I would want to be close to Alpena/Rogers City. I love Thunder Bay and Swans Bay. Great walleye, steelhead, whitefish, smallmouth fishing. Some awesome unmentionable rivers for brookies too. 

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## NCinq (Nov 18, 2014)

any mentionable rivers for brown trout around that area?


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

NCinq said:


> WOAH...overwhelming response from everyone. Thank You.
> 
> I maybe left a little bit of the equation out.... My son will live in this cabin for couple years, then move on to wherever and this cabin wil eventually be my retirement.
> 
> ...


Oscoda, hands-down. 45 minutes to Alpena. 15 minutes to Tawas. About 40 minutes to Omer (Rifle river), and there are other decent streams in between. 

Why buy a cabin for you to retire to, and base the location on where your 19 yr old Son might want to live for a couple/few years? If you really want to buy a retirement home, buy it where YOU want to retire, and let Sonny live there if he thinks that is a good place for him for a bit. 

I have to think rent in Oscoda is dirt cheap. Tons of properties for sale in that area.


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## BassFisher91 (Sep 11, 2005)

My place is right on the Rollways part of the AS, wouldn't move it if you paid me. Short drives to Oscoda, Tawas, and the Holy Waters of the AS. Awesome warm water fishing right at my place, along with waterfowl hunting. Really short drive to Lower AS for Steel. Several other smaller rivers with awesome fly fishing. And being 23 yo I can still go out to Tawas or Oscoda in the summer if you want to socialize.


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## FlyWeight (Dec 26, 2011)

Smithers or Terrace BC. Best Steelheading in the world. 2nd choice, Marathon, Fla


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

Gulf of Mexico.....lots of big fish and lots of hot chicks.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

I moved to Sault Ste Marie went to college and had some awesome fishing, trapping, and hunting. Then I moved to Saginaw and had some great fishing down there. Then back to the UP to Saint Ignace where the fishing is great and hunting is not too bad either.


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## DFJISH (Mar 30, 2009)

Fishndude said:


> Oscoda, hands-down. 45 minutes to Alpena. 15 minutes to Tawas. About 40 minutes to Omer (Rifle river), and there are other decent streams in between.
> 
> Why buy a cabin for you to retire to, and base the location on where your 19 yr old Son might want to live for a couple/few years? If you really want to buy a retirement home, buy it where YOU want to retire, and let Sonny live there if he thinks that is a good place for him for a bit.
> 
> I have to think rent in Oscoda is dirt cheap. Tons of properties for sale in that area.


X2! Unless you and your son don't mind the stress of heavy traffic and lots of congestion around you on and off of the water, forget TC.


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## Jackster1 (Aug 17, 2001)

He could stay everywhere in an Airstream motor home. A friend did that after he retired and recently moved it from a place he settled on as home base and took it south to Florida for a young relative to use on a plot of land... with visitation rights of course!


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## hockeymania2 (Apr 10, 2011)

I'm basically in the same position. I'm a 20 y/o Michigan State nursing student and have a year and a half left. I extensively research streams that produce great trout fishing in the west, and I have absolutely fallen in love with Ogden, Utah. I've been there twice snowboarding, and the scenery is absolutely unreal.

I can also put in my two cents on Traverse City. I have a cottage on the West Arm of Old Mission Peninsula and let me tell you, the seasons of TC are excellent, and the fishing can be just as good. Traverse City is a great place to live, you really can't go wrong there


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## FishKilla419 (Feb 22, 2008)

BenzoniA would be where I'd look. Close enough to Traverse but not to close. Platte and betsie right there. All the manistee tribs less than an hour away.


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## wyldkat49766 (Apr 21, 2007)

Fishndude said:


> Oscoda, hands-down. 45 minutes to Alpena. 15 minutes to Tawas. About 40 minutes to Omer (Rifle river), and there are other decent streams in between.
> 
> Why buy a cabin for you to retire to, and base the location on where your 19 yr old Son might want to live for a couple/few years? If you really want to buy a retirement home, buy it where YOU want to retire, and let Sonny live there if he thinks that is a good place for him for a bit.
> 
> I have to think rent in Oscoda is dirt cheap. Tons of properties for sale in that area.



I would vote for this also.


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

DFJISH said:


> X2! Unless you and your son don't mind the stress of heavy traffic and lots of congestion around you on and off of the water, forget TC.


The summer traffic sucks if you are heading downtown. But I would rather deal with that than deal with the same amount of traffic down state knowing that I can walk to a trout stream, pick morels in my back yard, driven less than 20 minutes to dozens of pristine lakes and be in a tree stand overlooking thousands of acres of state land in 5 minutes. Sure there are some big city issues here but I cannot imagine living downstate ever again.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Somewhere between wakeley and Mcmasters. Preferebly just below or above the SB confulence. I think it would be pretty awesome to walk out my door and either fish the mainstream or the SB. depending on my mood. I aways envy those guys who have cabins right there between the 2.


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## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

brushbuster said:


> Somewhere between wakeley and Mcmasters. Preferebly just below or above the SB confulence. I think it would be pretty awesome to walk out my door and either fish the mainstream or the SB. depending on my mood. I aways envy those guys who have cabins right there between the 2.


I was thinking somewhere close to there also. Anywhere just outside Grayling on the Ausable would be great. Plus your 1 1/2 hours to any shoreline fishing like Frankfort, Oscoda, The straights, and Saginaw bay



Fishndude said:


> I have to think rent in Oscoda is dirt cheap. Tons of properties for sale in that area.


Yep, my bro just got an 1800 square foot home up there for $40,000. If you see someone in the next few days in a small 14' boat heading to north pier an not really look like he knows what he's doing, that would be him:lol: I might start heading back up that way now that I've got a place to stay!


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## dwrobins (Nov 1, 2010)

Floriday Panhandle. Excellent weather, great fishing, plenty of "Scenery". Sand, swamps , woodlands.


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

brushbuster said:


> Somewhere between wakeley and Mcmasters. Preferebly just below or above the SB confulence. I think it would be pretty awesome to walk out my door and either fish the mainstream or the SB. depending on my mood. I aways envy those guys who have cabins right there between the 2.



That is where I would love to live.


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

Well, I'm half tempted to move down below myself, but the traffic concerns me. If it were me, I'd be going for high paying work, so the NELP is out. I'd have to move further south. 

I hate to be a downer, but...drugs, general crime, etc is getting pretty bad in some parts of the north. It's one thing to think about. It's no Flint, but for the size of the communities, it's just not right. Meth labs, heroin, robberies, B&E's, overdoses...it's no joke. Watch 9&10 News or check the online newspapers. The scum seem to be breeding at an uncontrollable rate too. The economy seems to be slipping more and more each year too.

So, I'd stay in the boonies if I were your son. I wouldn't want to be downtown Oscoda or even within five miles. I'd be somewhere closer to M-65 & River Rd. You can go any way you want from there and not have too much of a hassle. Plus, it'd be a better drive downstate than say from Rogers City. He WILL want to go downstate once in a while, whether it's to see family, catch a Tigers game with friends, attend a sport show, etc. For me, those are out of my reach unless well planned and I took a day or two off of work to hook up with a weekend. Gas prices play into it too. Visitors would be willing to drive up also.

Winters will be better in the said area too....it'd be a big factor to me. Women?....I give it a D. Loneliness?...I give it a D. I moved alone, once, to a small town. It sucked for about five years. It's still not home. I'm still an outsider 13 years later. One of my co-workers told me, "If you're not from here, you'll never be from here". He's right and he's from downstate. He has two more years to work until he gets his 25 in and then he's gone.

I wish there was more work around that area...

I could ramble quite a bit, because I think about it a lot myself. I just wanted to throw a few things out there that haven't been brought up yet. Some believe it's all roses moving north...until they do it.


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## DLHirst (Mar 14, 2009)

If you are looking to retire there, I'd recommend a look at the North Branch of the AS - in or near Lovells. Population 600 won't do much for your son's dating opportunities, but it's tough to go wrong with the fishing. And when it's your turn to occupy the cabin, you will be loving it there.

Best of luck wherever you/he end up. I am jealous of both of you!


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## dasuper (Sep 23, 2007)

If I could work from home I'd move to the Keweenaw and have lots of lakes and streams to fish. That said I would probably do the same thing I did 50 years ago and go find a war to fight just because.


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