If you could choose, what would be your home river and town?

All of your comments regarding your experience are helpful, Billamicasr. Thank you. I know the Owens well and I suspect you do, too. Depending on California's snowpack (let's hope it's epic), spring fishing may be very interesting.

Great input, Bill.

But what are you driving to get from Reedsport to the Macenzie in an hour, an F15?

Fish said:

We just moved to Oregon from Santa Cruz, CA. My advice is....do your research. If you haven't lived in the Pacific Northwest before, I lived in Washington before California and our move to Oregon, so I knew what I was getting into. It is a lot colder, rainy and grey here....all the things that keep the crowds away. The folks next door to where we currently hang our hats are from Cali, as well. They have been living in the foothills of the Cascades for four years and they're moving back to Cali....Palm Springs. Go figure...one extreme to another. He moved here to fish as well but said it wasn't so great cause some guy in a captains hat and a few of his friends catch all the fish! Bottom line: Do your homework and visit the area you want to live for a little while. Even if you have lots of resources, moving is a PITA!

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On the other hand I've got a buddy who manages a strip club and who fishes wherever he can stop and get a line in his water in his rickity little datsun sedan, and he pulls in a couple steelhead a day or he calls it a bad day.

And yeah it can easily take 3 hours to get into PDX from Eugene, the terwilleger turns are miserable and it's a crapshoot if you don't know the area and what times it's good to try to get through.

I live in Eugene, love being an hour from the coast. If I had my pick of anywhere regardless of stuff like my current house and having a job available when I got there, I'd choose Corvallis, I like the atmosphere, and it's a little farther north so it's not quite as prohibitive a drive north as it is from Eugene if you want to go north.

You'll only get SAD if you're a wilting lily and stay indoors when it's raining - get some good rain gear and get out there fishing and hiking, the reason our state is so beautiful is because of the rain, and the best pick-me-up is a hike among fresh ferns and old growth timber. Remember that the fall/winter/spring (aka rain season) is waterfall season, too!

i am about a month or so from retiring in california & moving to our house in cottage grove oregon on the row river.
not many fish on the row (from what i hear) but there are so many other great places to fish close by that it doesn't worry me.
we also have a cottage in winchester bay so we will be close to the salmon, crabs, & the dunes.
i can't wait to move up there!

Hi Knucklehead and everyone who has posted in response to my OP request for advice. You guys are great. Thanks.

Been out of town and Internet range for the past 10 days or so... but have to respond to the Row River resource, near Cottage Grove.
It's been a while, but I've walk fished the Row (and Coast Fork of the Willy) for several miles in the dead of summer using a #12 "Zug Bug" fly and caught lots of 'bows in the 12-14" range. It is a great resource that is terribly under-fished based upon the number of folks I've seen fishing the stream. If you are adapt at nymphing, specifically a dead sticked - weighted Zug Bug, I believe after you've fished it, you'll agree it is an under used resource.
It will be next summer, but I'm sure when you get the chance to fish it, you'll have a ball.
Most important part is to have someone who is willing to drop you off and pick you up a few miles down stream. Not much in the way of access except to say you'll be wet wading in nice weather, slipping and sliding your way to your take out. Use Google Earth to pick your entry and exit. I always thought it would have been great rivers to launch an inflatable kayak as transportation.

I'm late coming to the thread, but will add my two cents. I retired 5 years ago and moved to Florence from So Cal. I was SICK of CA for numerous reasons and my wife has family in Florence whom she missed. Florence is a great little town but is likely too far from PDX, if that is an issue. Florence is right on the Siuslaw and close to Lake Creek, Siltcoos and the Umpqua. I'm only about 1.5 hrs from the McKenzie which is my favorite river. If I could redo, I'd probably move closer to the McKenzie. maybe the outskirts of Springfield or one of the small towns on 126.

Don't let being from CA bother you. The people here are very friendly and welcoming as long as you don't have the snotty CA attitude, which is not universal. I've had no problems.

Good luck to you!!