Perfect Weather for a June Gamblorama

Back at Eagle's Rest Cabins for the 47th annual Gamblorama! Our host, Steve Main, is always very accommodating, that's why we keep returning to his place. We had perfect weather for the trip, although some said it was cool at night. Fishing on the mighty Madawaska is not the fishing we are used to. The geography of the area makes it difficult to target the big ones. Fish on the weekend included many out-of-season smallmouth bass, some small northern pike, walleye, perch, and brown bullheads. Kyle caught a dandy 3-pound smallmouth, but it was out of season. Phil caught a nice walleye but not quite large enough to beat the weekend winner, Ron's 3-pound brown bullhead. This is a weak showing compared to our trips on the upper Ottawa. Tips for 2025? Someone said that Millionaires Bay 'might' have some good-sized pike.

A huge thank-you to Melissa Davis for making an excellent lasagna for our Saturday evening meal. Again this year, she also sent along some great homemade pineapple cheesecake and orange cupcakes! Thanks Melissa, everything was awesome! Also on the weekend, a roast pig from Charcuterie Stefan Frick in Brossard.

The logistics of the pig dinner was crazy! There were only 8 guys on the trip, so we ordered a small pig. Turns out, they did not have any small pigs at the time and gave us a 37-pounder! Picked up the day before the Gamblorama, it had to be packaged for the trip to Ontario. Wrapped in many lyers of foil, then giant plastic bags and refrigerated overnight in Ron's fridge. Yep, a 37-pound pig in Ron's fridge. Before leaving for the trip, it was packed with ice in a giant plastic container.

The pig was reheated on the barbeque for 3 hours on very low heat, just enough to warm it. It was served with potato salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw.

Gamblers and fishermen on the trip included Phil Anderson, Alvin Davis, Al Heaney, Kyle Heaney, Warren Kidd, Allan Macintyre, Richard Vien and Ron Zinn. There were no clear winners of the Gamblorama but Kyle and Phil might have gone home with heavier cans and bags.

Thanks again to Melissa for the great lasagna and treats. Thanks to Ron for acquiring the pig for our Friday night dinner and your Die Zoiks bauernhof cannabis treats and almond bark. And a huge thanks to Steve at Eagle's Rest for letting us be the first users of your new barbeques!