One of the organizers of the Sainte-Aurélie Ice Fishing Festival, Luc Bélanger, is hoping that Mother Nature will bring cold weather for the next few days, otherwise his event scheduled for late January and early February could be modified or even cancelled.
The president of the Abenakis Lake Hunting and Fishing Association admitted in an interview with QUB Radio that the mild weather of the past few days is hurting because it takes a certain thickness of ice to board the cabins on the lake.
“We expect an ice thickness of 14 to 15 inches. We’re currently at 9-10 inches. It’s still not that bad considering the temperature. If all goes well we hope to be able to move into the cabins within two weeks, but it all depends on Mother Nature.
In the same vein, Mr. Bélanger pointed out that the organization did not want to take any risks. “There was already a four-wheeler [véhicule tout terrain] who has stalled. We don’t want to go through that again.”
Luc Bélanger mentioned that this is the first time he has seen such a situation. However, he pointed out that a few years ago there was no fishing because there was too much snow and the ice could not condense.
The Ice Fishing Festival takes place on the weekends of January 28-29 and February 4-5.
Year after year it attracts 500 fishermen. Several species can be fished there including trout, yellow perch and bullhead to name a few.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, Mr. Bélanger explained that he thinks about solutions to avoid the cancellation of the activity. “We could do a tournament without a dressing room. Eight inches of ice is fine for fishing. There would be a possibility to do a smaller festival.