Help nebie, but enthusiastic fishing couple find a place to retire, please?

We recently retired. I fished as a kid, and after 3 months in Cape Coral, Florida I've finally gotten my husband interested. [U]Especially[/U] if a boat purchase were included (which I would like, too).

We currently live in Phoenix, AZ. Obviously, not good fishing territory. We were thinking of relocating, anyway. But humidity is a major problem for him, which knocks out a lot of good fishing territory.

I've tried to develop a list of what we are looking for, and I think that several states (including KY) that you guys discuss might work for us.
* We don't care much about trophies or fish species. We like active fishing - lots of fish, most of which we release anyway. Sitting for 3 hours with 2 nibbles is not our style.
* No real preference for fresh water vs salt water. Not interested in big game or deep sea fishing. Would like to be somewhere we can have a boat - either at our own dock or in a marina. Trailering and launching is not too easy at our age.
* Cold weather and snow - VERY minimal, please. Heat is fine - we prefer it (AZ, remember?) but humidity is very uncomfortable for my husband. A breeze helps. If high humidity is limited to just a couple of months, he could tolerate it (or we'd go rent somewhere else during the summer.) Or if cold/snow is going to be a part of our lives for 2-3 months, we'll tolerate it for good weather and fishing the rest of the year.
* Near a small, medium or larger city, suburbs are fine. Way out country living (Aka the boonies) is not for us.
* No family restrictions - and no concern about school systems.

I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions. Thanks.

[I]PS: Yes, I realize that there are many areas of California that meet the above requirements quite well. But who the heck can afford to live there, with the cost of real estate and taxation? Not us, I'm afraid.[/I]

First off welcome to the board. Ky is a wonderful place to live ,I've lived here all my life and can honestly say every time I vacation in any other state I get home sick after a week.We have four seasons that are just enough to have a taste of all nature has to offer.As far as water goes we have more running water than any other state but Alaska,also more shore line than Florida. We have many different types of fishing to offer from large catfish,and musky, to bluegill,crappie,trout,and many more; not to mention the home of the world record smallmouth.All of that being said the only problem I see is with the amount of water we have in our wonderful state is the humidity. Our entire northern boundary is the Ohio river valley which is notorious for high humidity.Today it is going to be around 98 degrees,that translates to probably around 115 heat index.....torture. I've been to California,Nevada, and Arizona and can say it is a completly different heat. That would be the only down fall. I hope this helps and best wishes on your move to where ever you end up. Again welcome to the board and let us know where you decide on. Chuck

Western KY is the place to be, particularly around KY Lake.

Great people, great fishing on Kentucky and Barkley Lake, and a great location to be with several larger cities/airports within a few hours.

Several small towns to choose from, or you can be out in the country if you'd like.

For more info. about the area, check out this website:
[url]www.kentuckylake.com[/url]

I grew up in Marshall County and had to move away for college...still trying to save up to come back home. Even though I'm about 3 hours away, I'm still on those lakes 12 months out of the year, whether it be fishing or duck hunting.

Thanks. The humidity is what I was hoping you might have less of than some of the other places we are considering - like Florida. I'm beginning to think that good fishing, no snow and average humidity just don't go together (except maybe San Diego, which is completely unaffordable).

Would you say that all of KY is terribly humid, and how many months does that level of humidity last? Less humid in certain parts of the state, perhaps West KY as the prior poster suggested?

(And feel free to suggest another state altogether - we are wide open to all considerations, except CA and HI, due to their high cost of housing and taxation.)

Thank you again!

July and August are going to be the worst.Of course with the crazy weather patterns we have been having you might have to include June and September sometimes.Come fall though you won't find a more beutiful state. As the leaves turn the hills are something to be seen.Another great thing about KY is it's location not to far from the ocean and not far from the Great lakes, so you can allways vacation in Michigan like some of my friends do when the humidity is bad.

Compared to Arizona, Kentucky is humidity hades. A week or two ago, the heat index hit 123F in Owensboro, KY. That was the highest reading in the country that day. Days will pass where the humidity will not be below 70% let alone below 60%, even at night. As much as I love Kentucky, this is not the place for your husband to be.

Check this site out, it shows the high and low averages for humidity in any of those cities. Pick a city that works and find someplace close to it.

[url]http://www.cityrating.com/weatherhistory.asp[/url]

Looking at those charts, Lexington, KY's average low is 10 % points higher than Pheonix's average high.

If not for the humidity, Kentucky Lake is your ultimate dream.

Thanks for the suggestions and the links. In regard to the humidity, I appreciate your warning. [B]Simply put: Does it go on for more than 2-3 months (like it does in FL, AL, MS, etc.)
[/B]
2-3 months he could either stay in the house in the a/c or we could get outta town for those months. That's what we've been doing in Arizona for 20+ years. But if the intolerable weather extends much beyond 2-3 months, it gets very cost prohibitive - renting or buying a 2nd home and all that.

You shouldn't on average get more than 2 to 2 and half months of really high humidity. That being said it is possible for it to last more than 3 months. Snow usually isn't bad at all here maybe a few 6+ storms. We have in recent years have had some serious ice storms. The fishing is good here with tons of species to choose from. I hope you find a great place to retire and be happy.

It is very humid here all year long, with 9/12 months averaging a morning humidity level of 80% and above, it is humid in all months. It is only when the temperature is high that it gets overly oppressive. When the temperature is lower some people tend not to notice the humidity.