Your Favorite Location; fishing, taxes, everything

There are so many fisherman on this board I thought I would ask the following:

In the Midwest or Canada, if you could live anywhere, what would be your choice. If you have a family please factor in things like taxes, education for the kids, wife’s needs, etc.

My thoughts have always been either Brainerd, MN. or the area around LaCrosse, WI. The former clearly has better lakes, lower taxes then Wisconsin and is closer to Canada for great fishing. The latter has the Mississippi River and some outstanding trout fishing.

Your thoughts, thanks

This is interesting to ponder. Well shortly after signing divorce papers (the wife would not go for this) I would find a place on Cass Lake or Plantan. I love being up in the Leech Lake area or Bemidji. The fishing, the hunting, and just the peaceful atmosphere, it is such a different life up north. I have talked to the wife a few times on the drive up to the cabin, trying to talk her into moving up there. I told her I would find a job prior to making any moves, she could stay at home with our son, or she could find a job as well. The answer was NO I think that she realizes that I would always be on the water or in the woods. For the sake of my marriage I guess it is better to drive 2 hours to the cabin on the weekends, but it sure is fun to think of living up north.

I think Grand Rapids would be the ideal location to live. You have Winni,Leech, and mille lacs all within a hour drive! Plus you are close to LOTW and rainy river. Also have thousands of state forest for grouse and deer hunting!!

If I hit the lotto, I will be building in Brainerd.

Soon as I can sell my house AND find a new job…somewhere between Duluth and G.Rapids is looking good…..and I live in La Crosse.

Good question!

My answer is right here..along the Croix, close to the sippi and fairly close to rela-tics.

Coming from the prairie land of Hutchinson with it’s many area lakes, I find the rivers to be a well hidden secret.
Because the company I work for is fairly large I could mover almost anywhere…(some likely wish I would…move anywhere…just move! )

MN the land in which nothing is allowed…I still think it’s a great place to be….on the other hand…if I just moved across the river…three lines in the water does have it’s attraction!

Quote:

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If I hit the lotto, I will be building in Brainerd.

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Mr. Johnston,

My thoughts exactly! BUT

I live in WINONA and love the scenery and fishing!

So how bout if I hit the lotto I would split my summers between the two and spend much of the winter a bit farther south.

That would work, You could also buy a IDA jet and make the trips short..

if I had a dollar for everytime I thought of this I would already be there

WHEN I hit the jackpot I will be on LOTW.. with a pilots license and a float plane.
I would have a truck and a 620 ranger loaded not to mention all the toys needed for hunting on my 500 acres.

this would allow me to go anywhere and everywhere!!!

If I had the money, I’d have 2 places.

1. One on Mille Lacs for the spring and summer.

2. My fall and winter home would be a ranch about 10 miles square along the Yellowstone River somewhere between Hysham, and Custer Montana. The river is full of nice sized walleyes, and trout, and the valley has some of the best duck and goose hunting in North America. Not to mention an over abundance of Turkeys, Pheasants, Whitetails, Mule Deer, and Antelope.

Im going to put this from a perspective of my age, im 54. Im getting closer to retirement and i like river fishing more than lake fishing. The scenery around the area 50 to 75 miles north of LaCrosse is some of the nicest i’ve seen anywhere and i’ve seen most of the rockies. Its not too big that it dosen’t take a days drive to go there, its right out your back door. Its a nice place to live and enjoy plus if i want a nice change of scenery or go look for other places to fish i have so much to look at within 4 hours of me i could never see or fish it all befor i hit the great fish pole in the sky. If i want to hunt i can come back to Iowa to hunt deer or pheasants, i’d definately move to the upper miss between redwind and LaCrosse, anywhere in that area and i have everything i could want within 4 hours of me.

If I had the money………….

I’d stay right here. Would get rid of what I have now and build a cabin. Would also buy a Jimmy and a nice boat. Would retire early and spend every waking minute fishing.

I hear you there, If I could win the lotto, (seeing how i don’t play) but if I could win, I would be moving my family out to wyoming some where, I would not want to see a house anywhere in my line of sight. just be me and my family out in the middle of know where without a tv, phone, and especially a darn tooting cell phone.

thanks

shane

Hey Shane i the same way about cell phones. I had one when they first came out and it drove me nuts. I sold it too my son and he sold it too some other guy. If i were to ever own another one it would be only to take fishing for on the road emergencies.

My plan is retiring around the Two Harbors area.

Second choice would be somewhere between Duluth and Grand Rapids, not too far from a decent size town.

My dream is to live near the SCR within a short distance of P4 and spend my summers on Lake Vermilion.

I would seriously consider the Hayward, WI area or Rheinlander area….But I like where I live now too.

I like many others would have to be a single man if I moved here, but Watertown, SD. The waterfowl hunting is awesome, pheasants are only two hours away and the eye fishing is arguably as good as SD has to offer. I’m only 5 hours from Devils, Mille Lacs or the Mississippi. I’m two hours from home and 1.5 hours from most of my high school buddies. Sioux Falls would be my second choice(I may even get to keep my wife). Third, Mille Lacs Lake or Red Wing, toss up for me.