One of the organizers of the Sainte-Aurélie Ice Fishing Festival, Luc Bélanger, hopes that Mother Nature will bring cold weather for the next few days, otherwise his event scheduled for the end of January and the beginning of 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 last few days is hurting, because it takes a certain thickness of ice to board the cabins on the lake.

“We expect there to be 14-15 inches of ice thickness. Currently, we are at 9-10 inches. It's still not that bad considering the temperature. If all goes well, we hope to let the cabins in within two weeks, but it all depends on Mother Nature.”

In the same vein, Mr. Bélanger advised that the organization does not want to take any risks. “There has already been a four-wheeler (all-terrain vehicle) that 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 there was no fishing a few years ago because the amount of snow had been too great for the ice not to be able to thicken.

The Ice Fishing Festival will take 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, trout, perch and bullhead to name a few.

If ever the weather does not cooperate, Mr. Bélanger explained that he thinks of solutions to avoid the cancellation of the activity. “We could do a tournament without a cabin. For fishing, eight inches of ice is fine. There would be a way to make a smaller festival.