Trash, good luck on your new direction. Freshwater fishing has been my lifelong love. You reside in western Pennsylvania, so The Adirondacks in upstate NY are well within your driving range (especially since you have traveled to Vermont). Lake George is the most magnificent body of water that I have ever seen. The lake has a maximum depth of nearly 200' and has about 300 islands scattered all over the lake. The water is gin clear and has a specie of fish for almost everyone: lake trout, landlocked salmon, lots of bass (smallies, largemouth, and nuisance rock bass!!!), pike, pickerel, and perch. Take your entire family to the Lake George region, and you will be hooked for life.
My icon shows me hoisting a 6 pound 2 ounce smallmouth bass that I boated on the upper Niagara River in August 2012. The Falls are about 12 miles directly behind me.
Tight lines!!!!