Channel fishing and outfitter resilience

I’m back with a quick update on the situation for ice-fishing outfitters on the Ste-Anne River in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade.
Following the heavy rains of December 2023, the ice on the Ste-Anne River was gone. So we had to wait and hope that the river would freeze over again, and as a New Year’s gift, it did on the night of December 31. By New Year’s morning, the river was frozen over a large part of its surface.
The game wasn’t up because the temperature was still mild enough for us to water the ice to thicken it. For watering to be effective, the water has to be able to freeze almost instantly, and we had to wait a few days for the temperatures to cool down for good measure. Then the watering begins so that the ice cover increases enough to allow the poles and wires to be reinstalled.
Mother Nature has announced two storms in the same week. And why not, we’ve seen others…
Once the snow has fallen, it has to be tapped and watered to make good ice. In any case, this process is repeated twice in the same week, and it’s finally on Saturday January 13 that the first fishing cottages, which will be rented out the following morning, are installed. The season is finally underway, and the ice village begins to take shape.
Over the years and with experience, outfitters have come to realize that we can never take for granted that the fishing season for small channel fish will start on December 26, under ideal conditions. If that’s the case, so much the better, but if it’s not, they must once again be resilient and deal with Mother Nature.