i may be a bit premature but.....

[macojoe]

Fruit pickers!! Perfect for CTT!! lol

[charlie_the_tuna]

Originally Posted by macojoe

Fruit pickers!! Perfect for CTT!! lol

maco, you'd be the first fruit I pick.

[charlie_the_tuna]

wanted to bring this one back for some more speculation. i'm a bit closer to the move now and have a few friends who are also considering the area. talk to me about FISHING!!! southeast vs southwest. I guess i'll spend some time riding around on my scooter looking for some fishy water. sammich in the basket, rods in the back. maybe some light tackle rod bending action from shore, suds, canals. some nice sammich size snappers and such. how different is the inshore fishing between the east side and the west side? it wont be every day I dunk the boat so i'd like to just scoot up to some water and catch me some tasty fish tacos. what do you south florida guys think???
also, the snorkeling. I know it's awesome on the east coast. what about the west coast?
kayaking?

[THEFERMANATOR]

The big problem right now is red tide and blue/green algae. There has been massive fish/everything kills down there. If it recovers there is kayaking a plenty. Fishing from shore is mostly limited to piers and bridges due to the shallower water depths on the Gulf/west coast. South Florida is getting VERY over populated, and the fisheries is suffering. My brother in law was a guide down there until red tide hit last year and wrecked everything. Our new governor has taken an aggressive approach to fixxing the water problem's, but it is a complex/complicated issue, and will take millions and lots of work to begin to correct it. The inshore waters of the Gulf in south Florida is some of the most beautiful there is with rivers, bays, harbor's, flats, oyster bars, rock beds, mangroves, and anything else you can think of, but boating traffic is EVERYWHERE! I'm sure it will recover down there, but it's going to take some time.

[charlie_the_tuna]

well, that went fast! i'm now only 4 years from pulling the pin on my career. i'll be 60. my wife wants me to stay a bit longer but man!! I just want to get started on the next chapter of my life already. still focused on pine island. Sanibel. naples. cape coral. never really spent a lot of time on the west coast but I feel it calling me.

[randlemanboater]

Good to hear from you CTT!

As a retired guy, I can tell you that the closer you get to the day, the faster the time goes.

And once you retire, time accelerates again, it seems like I just retired the other day, May 31st will be 3 years.

[THEFERMANATOR]

There's alot of places for sale on the water down there from everybody getting out. Our new governor is working on trying to clean up the water, but he's being fought tooth and nail at every turn. Myself, you couldn't gete to move down there right now. Too much development, way to many deed restricted communities with nazi HOA's, and the fishing has gone down hill. My brother in law just finished selling his boat and closing down his charter business because the area is basically dead right now. I want to go to the nature coast, but the developers are trying to get going destroying up there as well.