Archive for the 'Conway Lake' Category

Secret private oasis at 736 Morrison Road

The view from the sandy beach at 970 Stritch Road

We will be hosting two open houses on the beautiful Conway Lake this weekend. October 1st from 12-3 you can come and see us at 736 Morrison Road and 970 Stritch Road! To get to the 3BR, 3 Ba, 2-c garage house at 970 Stritch Road: Take Route 113/302 from Conway or Fryeburg, and turn south onto Stritch Rd at the JtRealty sign. After a mile, bear right at the fork and drive a mile to the end. Driveway is on the right. The home is a very well-built year-round home perched on 5 private acres. Hot tub, 2-car garage, views & large deck. 436’ lakefront with a sandy beach & dock. $759,000

To get to the 3 BR, 1 Ba, 2-c garage home at 736 Morrison Road: Take Route 113/302 from Conway or Fryeburg, & turn south onto Morrison Rd by the little brown house & JtRealty sign. Drive to end. Driveway on left. This is an adorable cottage on 2.2 acres, lots of storage & expansion potential, southern exposure, long lake views, amazing corner granite fireplace, 310’ lakefront. $550,000.

Come visit us at one house or even both! We would love to see you there and tell you more about living the dream on Conway Lake.

The Shiners that inhabited the murky water at the end of the dock kept my kids busy. Their fluorescent bobbers jerked in starts, the empty hooks baffled the kids, and I hurried to re-bait the hooks as quickly as possible.

Soon an old-timer stopped to watch the simple joys of kids fishing. He reminisced about his early fishing days in the 1950’s; we recounted our own fishing conquests (in generic terms), and shared a moment of silence when the time was right to just watch youthful enthusiasm.

Several wood ducks swam in vicinity and Maya soon lost interest in fishing. Supplied with an old loaf of bread, she fed the ducks and spoke kindly to them in earnest.

Water parks and arcades are okay, but then again, so is a can of worms, a fishing pole, and a loaf of bread.

– happy fishing from Ryan the Realtor

RYAN’S FREE REPORTS ON THE WEB

Conway Lake Homes

Full Moon on Conway Lake by Terri Brooks

As a kid spending my summers in South Conway NH I took for granted the pristine and rustic beauty of a land that has looked virtually the same since the 1800s. Every morning I would hop on my bike, lunch, tennis racquet, and swim suit tucked into my backpack and head of for a day of adventure. I would meet up with friends and cousins and spend my days building forts in the woods, swimming on Conway Lake, digging for bottles in old stone walls, and having all sorts of fun.

Luckily for me and my neighbors, South Conway still looks almost exactly the same as it did in my younger years. This is due to the generosity of the landowners there and the dedication of organizations like the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (USVLT), a “non-profit organization working with local landowners to permanently protect the lands and waters that define our communities and enrich our quality of life.” Since 2000, the USVLT has been helping landowners in the Mount Washington Valley place their land in conservation easements to protect it for future generations.

Through the Trees by Terri Brooks

To date the USVLT has acquired 30 Conservation easements and 4 land fees, protecting over 4,000 acres in the Mount Washington Valley from any future development. In February, 2010 the USVLT purchased 99 acres on the top of Foss Mountain in the Town of Eaton NH. “Protection of the property provides public recreation and protects its scenic values, productive blueberry fields, important wildlife habitat, and long term ability to produce forest products.”  I like to say that Foss Mountain is a hike with the most “bang for your buck” as it is a very short little walk with breathtaking 360 degree views of our mountains and lakes. The perfect place for a sunset picnic or a day of picking blueberries.

On May 15^th from 5:30-7:30pm Tin Mountain Conservation Center is hosting “Art Celebrates Place” A show of work by artists inspired by the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust’s (USVLT) Conservation Easements (several of which are shown here). Please come to this event to help support the USVLT and their quest to preserve the natural beauty of the Mount Washington Valley for generations to come. Click here to learn more about the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and become their fan on Facebook.

October Jenkins Field by Terri Brooks

*Photos Courtesy of the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and contributing artists

Hi All,

Harrison called late yesterday; bad news, S. Cove nest was apparently attacked by something, egg is broken and no loons sitting!

Maybe next year,

Dick

It is no secret that the Mount Washington Valley, and Conway Lake in particular are great places to cast a line and catch great fish. Valley Angler, Bill Thompson tells the tale of the seasonal change from trout in the White Mountains to Bass. The following article is reprinted with Bill’s permission. Bill and Janet Thompson own North Country Angler, a local shop of gear and lore. If you are in the area please pay them a visit. You can get directions, reports and other information from their website.

By Bill Thompson

With the onset of warmer water it is time to put the trout rod away and pick up the bass rod. As much as I love trout fishing I also have a soft spot in my heart for the black bass. There are few angling experiences that can top sitting in a canoe in the dead of night waiting for “Old Man Bass” to inhale your deer hair popper. In the dim light it is hard to see your fly on the water, but there is no mistaking the feel of the strike. No gentle sipping of the fly like a trout; this is an all out assault and the water explodes at the point of attack. Your heart tries to free itself from your chest as you try to keep the rod from being pulled from your hands. Those with weak hearts should stick to golf.

Visitors to our valley and many locals as well generally think of trout fishing when they fish the area. Many are surprised to find out how much good bass fishing is available to them. True, there is not much bass water in the White Mountains, but just a few miles south there is an abundance of good bass lakes.

Perhaps the closest is Conway Lake. This lake, with its many rocky coves, is prime small mouth bass water. I have had people visiting from the south tell me that Conway Lake rivals their home waters. Silver Lake and Ossipee Lake are also excellent for bass. All of these lakes require a boat of some kind in order to fish them. Each of these lakes have great boat launches and boats maybe rented at the Cove Campground to fish Conway Lake. There are also a number of smaller lakes that provide great bass in the area. Purity Lake in Madison offers some great bass fishing. There is an unimproved launching area on Route 153 that will accommodate canoes and other small car topped boats.

One of my favorite bass fishing venues is the Ossipee River. The river starts at the dam on Ossipee Lake between Effingham and Freedom. There can be some good trout fishing there in the spring, but by July it is a bass fisherman’s haven. There are lots of opportunities for the wading fishermen to target these fish. The bridge on Route 153 is a good place to start. Another good location is at the Huntress Bridge just off of Route 25 as you head towards the Maine border. There is a great boat canoe launch at the site ofFi the old Route 25 bridge on Route 153 in Effingham. Floating the Ossipee can provide an exciting days fishing.

It is surprising how few fly fishermen fish for bass. By the same token it is surprising how few spin fishermen, who fish for bass, ever pick up a fly rod. Fishing for bass with the fly rod is an American tradition. In fact the wooden plug, plastic today; owes its origin to the fly rodders deer hair bug.

You don’t need to spend big bucks on a bass outfit. Any eight and a half or nine foot rod with a line weight of six to nine will do the trick. A seven or eight weight line is perfect for throwing big streamers and large popper’s. You can by a line designed for bass or you can just cut four to six feet off the front of an old weight forward line and it will do the job. Reels are typically larger than trout reels in order to accommodate the heavier lines.

It is a good idea to do some practice casting if you have never tried casting a fly line before. However, the skill level needed for bass fishing is nowhere near as high as required for trout. No delicate presentation needed for bass, in fact a big hair bug that is slammed to the water is much more effective than a delicate presentation.

For the next few weeks, at least until the water temperatures go down you will no doubt find me in the evenings on one of my favorite bass ponds. I will be setting in my little pontoon boat watching the stars and waiting to be jarred out of my seat by a big old bass.

See you on the river.

Thanks Bill!

Now, if you love fishing and are interested in owning property on Conway Lake or any of the areas Bill mentions in his article please contact us today.  We know Conway Lake!

Related articles:

The Lure of Conway Lake

Summer of Conway Lake

Country Ecology: Loon Egg

To all:

Checked status of Thorne Island chick today after water testing; chick is fine, healthy and was on the back of one of his parents; did not get to S. Cove as it started to rain; we’ll find out  if nest is still inhabited after Saturday’s loon census! Will advise.

Dick

By Rick Biche

I am not sure that I fully understood how great the experience of growing up on a lake was until I had the opportunity to watch the experience again through the eyes of my own child.  I was so fortunate that my parents made the decision to buy a place on the water when I was young.  Now the property has passed hands and I understand what really motivated my parents.  The times are irreplaceable.  That first dive off the dock, discovering a loon nesting on an island (yes, we got out of there quick so as not to disturb), the first time sailing, watching children playing in the sun and water…

I came across this wonderful little video about summer on Conway Lake.  I think in many ways is gives a nice picture of many ways that lakeside living is unique and special.

According to Richard Louv, in Last Child in the Woods, children need time to play, seek and discover in natural areas in order to grow and prosper emotionally and intellectually.  He cites evidence linking experience in nature at a young age to creativity, success and happiness.  And, he says, parents need nature too.

In our busy lives it is often difficult to find and structure time to be outside, somewhere special with family and friends.  For my family spending summers, summer weeks and weekends on the lake makes it that much easier.

Joy Tarbell knows Conway Lake.  If you are interested in buying or selling real estate on Conway Lake, let Joy put her experience to work for you.

Quick MLS Search for Conway Lake homes

Quick MLS Search for lakefront properties

Contact Joy Tarbell Realty

Hi Loon Lovers -

Did a lake loon survey run yesterday; Thorne nest still active and one was sitting, signs OK. Lake level OK but that nest doesn’t have much margin at all. Checked S. Cove nest, both loons off nest and feeding. Took the opportunity to get close and spotted 2 eggs intact;  they did not like me that close and were very voracious in telling me so!! Hell of a show, taught me a lesson I didn’t think I needed! I know now, won’t make that mistake again!

Their nest is higher than Thorne, so it has more margin for water rise if it happens; efforts to avoid serious water level rises still needed, especially for Thorne nest: Town has managed level during this incredible wet season extremely well. Let hope Loons hatch this month and predators stay away;

Regards,

Dick

Hi to all Loon Lovers: 

Good news today (makes the rain tolerable!); took a survey of the 2 expected nests and found both active with Loons sitting!

I spotted theThorne Island pair last week and they’re still nesting today; and, whereas the S. cove pair seemingly nested on the small island 2-3 weeks ago and then disappeared, they’re now nesting on the big island (next to Boynton’s), facing north where they were last year when they got swamped! Let’s hope they make it this year. We had no surviving chicks last year.

Kudos to Paul D. and the dam operator; they have kept the lake level at normal (or below) levels during this critical very wet season which, hopefully, will contribute to successful hatchings over the next month; by my calculations, the northern pair should hatch around mid July and the newer southern pair around the 18th-20th of July. For all you loon watchers, keep an eye on the other 2 possibilities in Dolloff Cove and the rocky island near Gull Rock; please call me if any activity is sighted (447 6073); LPC has been here twice already and will continue to use my boat to review nesting progress; I’ll keep you all up to date;

Regards,

Dick