The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) biologists, Sam Merker, was last on Great East June 28th.  The news is not very good.  Only two loon pairs have nested, in the Scribner River and the second basin.  Both pairs are off the nest, with two chicks reported in the Scribner but only one chick was observed with it's parents in the large part of the lake on June 29th.  The second basin pair were observed without chicks and egg fragments were found in the nest.  It is not known if the egg/s were eaten or if the chick/s were lost after hatching.  There was no nest found in Copp Brook and the nesting site on Loon Island has not been used.  It is still possible for the loons to try again but it is getting late.

The Annual Loon count was held on Saturday July 17th.  View loon statistics from past years.

Two loon chicks have hatched on scribner river on June 16.  Everyone please be careful as they will be heading to the big lake soon.  Thanks!

The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) with many volunteers conducts an annual loon census in July that provides a mid-season check on NH loon populations.  Thanks to Dave Nordengren and Dee Kasprzak for their help with this year’s census.  Great East is a large lake and many people are needed to do the census properly. A total of eleven adult loons and two chicks were counted this year.  There were three nesting pairs this year, Scribner River, Loon Island and Second Basin. Only the Scribner pair hatched chicks. The two chicks thrived and grew into juveniles, but on several different occasions in early September only one juvenile was seen with its parents. Many thanks to Sam Merker , the dedicated  LPC biologist assigned to Great East and volunteers Sue Bixby, Dave Nordengren, Charles Crespi and Donald Bell who provide valuable information about the nesting pairs in their areas during the spring and summer.

A pair of loons were seen on the Scribner a week before the ice was out on the main part of the lake.  This photo shows the South Cove loons  on the lake shortly before iceout.   -  April 22,2007  - Linda Schier

Erin O'Brian, the Loon Preservation Committee biologist assigned to Great East visited here on July 13th for the second time this summer. Twelve adult loons and three chicks were observed. There have been as many as 6 loon pairs on the lake this year with 3 pairs nesting.  2 pairs have been seen together in  the second basin and another pair in the narrows.  None of these have nested.

14 pound Trout caught by Conrad Eleckna on June 26th, 2004 in the Narrows. -Nancy Callen

Great East Lake has an area of 1768 acres, with a maximum depth of 102 feet.  The surface temperature is 80 degrees F., while the temperature 97 feet below the surface is 51 degrees F.

There are 15 varieties of fish in the lake; brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, rainbow trout, chain pickerel, crappie, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, smelt, yellow perch, white perch, sun fish, white sucker, hornpout, and minnows.

The lake has a large volume of cold, well-oxygenated water and rocky shorelines, and is well suited for lake trout.  Lake trout (touge), introduced in 1956, have become established and have grown very well over the years.  Unlike salmon and most other trout, lake trout do not need tributary streams for spawning, but select rocky shoals and broadcast their eggs over the rubble bottom.  Great East Lake lacks suitable salmon and trout spawning tributaries.

Over the last several years, the State of New Hampshire has had control of the stocking of fish in Great East Lake and has been stocking rainbow trout into the lake.  In 2003 they stocked 1150 yearling+ rainbows trout. In 2005 the stocking was done in three phases, 1000 on April 18, 1000 on April 26 and 1000 on June 28. The New Hampshire Fish and Game, who are in charge of stocking the lake, will be planting some smelt eggs next spring to increase the smelt population, which are bait fish for the larger fish.

In past years, the State of Maine has stocked brook trout.
For more info, contact BOB CHOOLJIAN  

Fish and Wildlife Links:
www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fishing (NH)
www.fishing-in-maine.com (MAINE)