Should I Leave Northern Illinois? Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I run a site called The Minimalist Fisherman. My buddy Mike (AKA Brother Wiggle Worm, AKA "Tablerockbass")...

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I run a site called The Minimalist Fisherman. My buddy Mike (AKA Brother Wiggle Worm, AKA "Tablerockbass") suggested I join this forum so I could read all his pomes.

Well, he actually said I could learn a lot, and also read pomes - so I'm here to learn and get pomed.

I've lived in Illinois all my live (about an hour outside Chicago, which is just a lovely place let me tell you 🙄) and my folks just recently got a property near Bull Shoals, Arkansas. I went down last year and fished with a guide... and Lordy... it was the best NOVEMBER bass fishing I've ever had!

We are really leaning towards moving south. Many reasons. One being not wanting to raise my kids here (my wife and I have just under a basketball-team worth of strapping young lads), the other being... well, let's be honest.

Better fishin'.

Would be very curious to meet some of you folks and get your opinion(s) on the topic - especially if you're originally from the Land 'o Lincoln.

Thanks!

The Outcast Loc: NE Michigan

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I ... (show quote)

Welcome to the stage MF!
Sounds like a Win-Win to me!
Near family, better and longer fishing season!

Foodfisher Loc: SO. Cal coast

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I ... (show quote)

Givin the weather
and political bent
I'd give up Illinois
And not just for lent

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I ... (show quote)

Welcome to the Stage AJ, any friend of TRB is a friend of ours. My wife and I are planning a southern move, to SC. Weather and longer fishing season are my main reasons, since we don't have children. I would encourage you to GO for it, I don't think you'll regret it. I hope to see pictures of your adventures, and catches. Good Luck, and Tight Lines.

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I ... (show quote)

I’m not from Illinois nor have I ever been a flatlander but in my opinion you can find no better place to raise kids especially boys than away from a city!! I’ve heard the fishing in that Missouri/ Arkansas country is hard to beat.

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Look into the schools for your boys! Hard to beat a good edjumacation!
Good luck with whatever you choose to do…and welcome to the Stage!

Tablerockbass Loc: Table Rock Lake

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I ... (show quote)

Shame upon me and my errant thumb, missin this intro. Just for that, I'm gonna go get my opposite thumb scratched up by bass jawrs. That'll teach me! Then, if'n yer nice, I'll have a pome for dinner.
Welcome to the Stage!! 🙃

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

The Outcast wrote:

Welcome to the stage MF!
Sounds like a Win-Win to me!
Near family, better and longer fishing season!

Yeah I don't think it's really a hard sell at this point... :)

Foodfisher wrote:

Givin the weather
and political bent
I'd give up Illinois
And not just for lent

Amen, amen I say to you.

Fredfish wrote:

Welcome to the Stage AJ, any friend of TRB is a friend of ours. My wife and I are planning a southern move, to SC. Weather and longer fishing season are my main reasons, since we don't have children. I would encourage you to GO for it, I don't think you'll regret it. I hope to see pictures of your adventures, and catches. Good Luck, and Tight Lines.

Thanks man! Yeah he's an alight dude. Had a lot of nice things to say about y'all. Congrats to you as well on the move south!

Graywulff wrote:

I’m not from Illinois nor have I ever been a flatlander but in my opinion you can find no better place to raise kids especially boys than away from a city!! I’ve heard the fishing in that Missouri/ Arkansas country is hard to beat.

Thanks man, I've heard great stories - between the reservoirs and the big rivers & creeks it's looking pretty darn nice...

OJdidit wrote:

Look into the schools for your boys! Hard to beat a good edjumacation!
Good luck with whatever you choose to do…and welcome to the Stage!

I've been watching the new Gov like a hawk. Like what I've seen her do so far.

Tablerockbass wrote:

Shame upon me and my errant thumb, missin this intro. Just for that, I'm gonna go get my opposite thumb scratched up by bass jawrs. That'll teach me! Then, if'n yer nice, I'll have a pome for dinner.
Welcome to the Stage!! 🙃

I hope you were out catchin' fish because that is the ONLY acceptable excuse for being away. Well ok... there is ONE other excuse that I would accept but I assume this is a PG forum so let's keep it clean, fellas...

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

Nice one ☝️

CamT Loc: La Porte, Texas

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

I hope you were out catchin' fish because that is the ONLY acceptable excuse for being away. Well ok... there is ONE other excuse that I would accept but I assume this is a PG forum so let's keep it clean, fellas...

I think you are gonna fit right in and if you have something that isn't PG we do have the ATTIC for such things 😉, but it has it limits also lol 😆

nutz4fish Loc: Colchester, CT

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Hey boys & girls - my name is AJ Hauser and I ... (show quote)

Welcome to the Stage Bro. I'm a little prejudiced against big cities, so I agree you might wanna get your kids away from the ChiTown area. To me, living in Connecticut, a big city is anything over 30,000. But don't be fooled, rural areas have plenty of crimes, drugs, and crazies too. Good thing is they're farther apart, and the gangs are smaller.
You're lucky to know TRB personally, what a character, and truly a breath of fresh air. Good group of folks here, but be forewarned, most of us actively engaged here on the site have got grandkids older than your kids, but we're not TOO cranky.Most of the time.
Great introductory post. Nice to get to know ya a bit right from the getgo. Nice to have you aboard.

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

NJ219bands wrote:

Nice one ☝️

'tis nice, indeed ;)

CamT wrote:

I think you are gonna fit right in and if you have something that isn't PG we do have the ATTIC for such things 😉, but it has it limits also lol 😆

I'm not so sure I want to see what ya'll are storing up there... might ge my courage up and take a peek later though... lol

nutz4fish wrote:

Welcome to the Stage Bro. I'm a little prejudiced ... (show quote)

Thank you! yeah, I feel like I'm trading heroin for meth by moving South, but the gang violence in Chicago is insane. It's a warzone. That, plus in Illinois there aren't a ton of areas that you can fish without someone telling you you're about to get a gut full of lead. I have that on video the last time it happened, really should get that posted... I was just dumbfounded.

Tablerockbass Loc: Table Rock Lake

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Thank you! yeah, I feel like I'm trading heroin for meth by moving South, but the gang violence in Chicago is insane. It's a warzone. That, plus in Illinois there aren't a ton of areas that you can fish without someone telling you you're about to get a gut full of lead. I have that on video the last time it happened, really should get that posted... I was just dumbfounded.

Well, that brought back a memory. Back in the 80s, I was in a bass fishin club that fished out of water scamps and flat bottoms. After tiring of dragging our rigs a quarter mile to a prized, un-posted, hawg-filled strip pit, we built a rack made to ride the railroad track adjacent to the pit. Picture a flat bottom with 3 water scamps stacked on it with all us goobers standing next to it. One each hoot. The last time we fished there was the last time we fished there, as we were well into our tournament when we heard a bang. Then another bang, followed by a thud in the dirt bank. Also a whizzing sound overhead. 🤔 Gunfire. Let's pack up. Hurried back to the trucks to find skull n crossbones on the window with "stay out" clearly written.
Learned later there was a rogue pharmacy 😜 nearby and they didn't like us being close to their operation. Found a different pit.

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

Were they making off-label Tylenol for the needy in their pharmacy?

Tablerockbass Loc: Table Rock Lake

TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:

Were they making off-label Tylenol for the needy in their pharmacy?

As far as you know.