What goes on in the late Fall?

October 26 and Susanne and I have once again made an expedition to a nearby lake stocked with splake.  For those of you not familiar, splake are a cross between a brook (speckled) trout and a lake trout.  They don’t get too big in this lake, and this one today was probably the biggest of what we’ve caught over three trips this fall……a mighty 18 incher!  Here’s a few pictures of our recent splake fishing…….

The limit on splake is 5 and there is no season, since they don’t reproduce and are stocked.  They are great to eat and the above shows a couple of variations for cooking……marinated and then grilled, and the traditional floured and fried…….both are excellent.  One interesting note….a 1956 Johnson 3 horse motor has a built in gas tank which has sufficient gas to get to the far end of the lake.  A paddle is required for the return trip.  On subsequent adventures I now bring along additional gas.

What else happens at VBL in the late fall?

Our last group of guests left not long ago.  These were four workers from Signature Contractors out of Windsor, Ontario and were busy here for almost 3 weeks working on the Government Dock here in Vermilion Bay.  Rui, Tom, Lou and Fabio were all great guys and we enjoyed having them here……….they worked from sun-up to sun-down, 6 days a week….  The result is impressive!  Not that we need to launch there, but it’s nice to see a great launch ramp and dock facility.

Of course there are always some projects….

Cabin 2 was in need of a new bottom “log”…which was not only decorative, but actually was holding up the floor.  Well, the new “log” looks a bit rectangular, but structurally much sounder than the previous log.  It was one of those jobs you really don’t want to do, but afterwards it wasn’t that bad.

Cabin 3 is also receiving some attention.  Step one is a nice red metal roof.  Step two is some serious interior work which I will report on later….let’s just say it will make a big difference on many levels…

So is this it till next spring?

Not really.  Although some final signs of “end of season” such as the pulling in of the swimming raft, and the folding up of the Adirondack chairs on the swimming point have occurred today…..I still have a boat in the water and the speckled trout lake has yet to receive a Fall visit. Bottom line is:  Stay Tuned!