Five Fishing-Related Goals for Retirement
Although mentally I feel “forever 21,” or certainly no older than 29, the fact is that at 51-plus, I’m closer to 70 than I am to either of those numbers. I’ve been out of law school for over 26 years, and at my current job for over 20. That means that pursuant to the terms of my employment I’ll be at minimum retirement age in February of 2027. Hanna and I continue to max out our retirement funds and put more away on a monthly basis so that if all goes right we’ll be done with our full-time gigs no later than the end of the decade, and if the stars line up correctly I’ll be cutting up my ties and donating all but one of my business suits in less than six years.
That’s both exceptionally exciting and a little bit daunting.
Setting that rough timeline puts us on a path where we’ll need to have some plans and some envisioned deliverables. We talk about them all of the time. This website was developed at least in part to help fulfill the goals we’ve established, to guide our thinking about the path forward, and to broaden our network of like-minded people to help us get there (and to share the ride).
Some of my goals are relatively minor and easily achievable. For example:
I want to someday take the airline up on it when they announce, “We’ll give you a thousand dollar flight credit if you give up your seat and go tomorrow instead.”
I want to someday have a distant friend tell me, “They’re biting like crazy here,” and then take up their offer to join in by buying a next day plane ticket.
I want to continue to amass more and better tackle, while getting rid of some of the things I’ll never use so we don’t need to rent a storage unit.
At the same time, some of the larger, more general goals are still works in progress. Who knows? In six to ten years we could abandon or alter some of them, but for the time being we’re trying to stay on pace to make them realities. It’s a lot more logical in my opinion than waking up one day with an empty day planner and trying to invent the wheel all at once. Remember, in just about everything related to fishing, the research is the fun part. With that in mind, here are long-term goals that we have on our radar and that this website will document and hopefully facilitate:
Embrace the RV Lifestyle
Ten years ago I don’t think either of us would have envisioned ourselves living a nomadic lifestyle, but after seeing and staying in various friends’ fifth wheels, both Hanna and I have realized that a home on wheels will be a great option for us. I’ll pull the fifth wheel, she’ll pull the boat, and we’ll go across the country to see new places and chase the bite.
What we’ve done about it: We’ve put enough money away in a separate account so that if we had to pay for our preferred fifth wheel today we could do it in cash (although it’s not enough to pay for the dually to pull it). Hanna has conducted countless hours of research into various brands, models and layouts, even going so far as to visit various dealerships and RV shows to see firsthand what she’ll want and need
What still needs to be done: I need to get comfortable with the idea of pulling a 40’ beast across the country. I’ve towed a bass boat tens of thousands of miles, but this just feels different. Meanwhile, she’ll have to get comfortable with the idea of pulling the boat, although I’m sure there are times when we’ll leave the second rig with a friend or acquaintance and just take the camper.
Possible obstacles or changes: If gas were to rise to an exorbitant price, we might have to reconsider this plan, or at least revisit the amount of time we’ll spend moving. Furthermore, some of the research we’ve done could go out the window regardless of the price of gas—technology is moving so quickly that there’s a chance this entire class of vehicles could be completely different a decade from now.
Pick a Permanent Base
Living in the Washington, D.C., suburbs has many benefits, but we’ve spent our time here and we can be better situated—geographically, financially, and pescatorially—if we move elsewhere. By selling our house here in a high-performing real estate market, we can probably get something much nicer elsewhere, plus the RV and/or dually, and still have money leftover. We probably will not have enough disposable income to have two properties, so we’ll have to choose a single location.
What we’ve done about it: Mostly, we’ve put ourselves in good financial shape to have options, and the fact that I bought our Virginia house without knowing that its value would more than double in 17 years worked to our advantage.
What still needs to be done: We need to pick a place. Right now Hanna’s choice would be to relocate to Wisconsin, a short drive from her family in Illinois, from April to October, and travel south in the RV from October to April. My choice would be to end up with a house in Texas we’d use from October to April and then travel north during the other six months. We’ve seen some other places we’ve liked that are more central, like the Knoxville area. This is one decision that may wait until after we retire. We can explore different areas, stay in several for a while each, and then make a decision.
Possible obstacles or changes: Real estate markets change, and a drastic fluctuation in our current market or any target market, or to interest rates, could affect our decisionmaking. We are also well-aware that certain areas are more prone to natural disasters than others, and while me might’ve taken some chances in years gone by, we’re more risk-averse with each passing year.
Learn to Fly Fish
I avoided fly fishing for decades, but having seen how so many people I admire treasure it, and having experienced a little bit of it myself, I want to get better. There are lots of fisheries I want to visit that can’t be fully unlocked without being good with the long rod.
What we’ve done about it: We’ve now taken one trip to Montana and two to Alaska (one for her) where we’ve fly fished and loved it. I’m sure we’ll be back in Alaska sooner rather than later to get another taste, and if time and circumstances permit maybe we’ll spread our wings a little bit more in the pre-retirement years.
What still needs to be done: I should probably take some serious casting lessons, both to get better and to stem any bad habits I’m already developing. I also need to study the terminology and tackle elements a little bit more.
Possible obstacles or changes: Lack of time on the water is the biggest impediment to getting better right now. Simply put, it’s hard to go someplace epic for a limited number of days and handicap myself by using the long rod. Also, I don’t have any tackle of my own. Obviously, both of those are minor and correctible and this should be one of my first efforts when I have more time.
Fish on Six Continents
We’ve fished in North America, South America and Africa. Antarctica doesn’t seem likely. That leaves Asia, Europe and Australia.
What we’ve done about it: We’ve developed a pretty good network of friends and industry contacts in Asia and Europe. I’m already expecting that we’ll make it back to Japan someday, and this time we’ll fish rather than just going to tackle shops (although we’ll certainly do that, too). I know a few members of Europe’s bass fishing community, and a marlin expedition off Madeira would not hurt my feelings, either. Obviously, Australia will be the greatest challenge in terms of planning, the time required and the expense, but that’s one that I really want to do, so we’ll make it happen. Hanna has relatives there and visited 40 years ago, but that whole region of the world is at the top of my fishing and travel bucket list.
What still needs to be done: Save our money, accrue airline miles (this is one where I’ll need to fly business class), develop some trip itineraries.
Possible obstacles or changes: The world is an inherently unstable place. Regional hostilities or natural disasters could take certain areas off our lists. Two whole continents? Doubt it, but you never know.
Find Another Species or Technique that I’m Passionate About
Our trips to Alaska and this past April’s adventure to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge made me realize that placing artificial limitations on the types of fishing we do is self-defeating. You may love bass fishing, but that’s no reason to shun the fly rod or redfishing or anything else. At least try it before you say that it doesn’t capture your heart. Panama in particular recalibrated my compass—I don’t remember the last time I was as excited about fishing as I was heading to each subsequent tuna boil. I’ve thought about it every day since then, too.
What we’ve done about it: Mostly, we’ve opened our minds to the idea that nothing can be dismissed out of hand. We’ve gone ice fishing, musky fishing, fly fishing and popping for tuna. We haven’t found anything that we actively disliked, although some pushed the obsess-o-meter a little bit further to the right than others.
What still needs to be done: Explore options, both physically and by conferring with anglers we know and trust. Even when we have more time available, we’ll still need to prioritize based on finances and seasons.
Possible obstacles or changes: Time and physical health. We need to make sure that we blend a mix of experiences that we already know and love with those that are completely new. It’s not ever going to be perfect, but I guar-an-damn-tee you we’re going to have a hell of time trying to make it so.
Oddly enough, none of those goals are really achievement-oriented in the way that someone might say they want to catch a 12-pound bass, or a record class fish of any species. Sure, I’d like to do those things, too, but in this case I think the process should drive us more than specific results. Part of the fun is ending up in places you didn’t intend to go.
