East Chain Lake

How big is East Chain Lake?

How deep is East Chain Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in East Chain Lake?

What are the closest cities to East Chain Lake?

Are there boat launches on East Chain Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near East Chain Lake?

East Chain Lake is a 485-acre lake with two distinct basins (north and south) that has a maximum depth of 6 feet. The lake is adjacent to the City of East Chain in Martin County. East Chain Lake is susceptible to low dissolved oxygen levels in the winter due to shallow water and in some years abundant aquatic vegetation leading to frequent winterkills. Winterkills have been documented during the winters of 2000-2001, 2008-2009, and 2013-2014. East Chain Lake is part of system of wetland complexes in both downstream and upstream directions. Many times East Chain Lake has fish immigrating into the lake from downstream. East Chain Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike with Yellow Perch as the secondary management species. A targeted survey was conducted the week of May 29, 2019, earlier than historical standard surveys, to better assess primary management species and to avoid dense vegetation later in the summer. Eight trap nets were used to assess the fish community in East Chain Lake.

Northern Pike catch rates have varied from 0.5 per trap net in 1992 to 3.3 per trap net in 2001 and have averaged 1.8 per trap net since 1992. In 2019, Northern Pike were captured at a rate of 1.4 per trap net, which is the same catch rate that was recorded in the last survey in 2013. Lengths of Northern Pike ranged from 22.0 to 35.4 inches and averaged 28.7 inches. East Chain Lake is within the "southern zone" of the new Northern Pike zone regulations. A limit of 2 pike longer than 24 inches can be harvested. Northern Pike under 24 inches must be released.

The Yellow Perch catch rate in 2019 was 0.4 per trap net, below the long term average of 0.8 per trap net and near the lower end of expected catch rates for similar lakes. Yellow Perch lengths ranged from 5.9 to 9.1 inches and averaged 7.2 inches. The Yellow Perch trap net catch rate has been less than 2.0 per trap net for two successive surveys so pre-spawn adult Yellow Perch should be stocked to boost the population.

Black Crappie catch rates have varied from 0.2 per trap net in 2013 to 5.3 per trap net in 2019, averaging 2.6 per trap net since 1992. The 2019 catch rate is the highest ever recorded in East Chain Lake. Lengths of Black Crappie ranged from 6.6 to 12.1 inches and averaged 9.7 inches. Black Crappie are not stocked in East Chain Lake suggesting that the population is sustained through natural reproduction.

Prior to 2019, the highest catch rate on East Chain Lake was 26.8 per trap net in 1992. In 2019, the Black Bullhead catch rate was 168.9 per trap net, exceeding the long-term average of 49.2 per trap net, and exceeding the expected range of catch rates for similar lakes (11.5 to 132.6 per tap net). Lengths of Black Bullhead ranged from 4.0 to 9.3 inches and averaged 7.2 inches. Other species sampled included Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, Orangespotted Sunfish, Quillback, and White Sucker.

What is the average air temp for East Chain Lake?