December's weather pushed back the start of the fishing season for small channel fish, but as cold weather slowly sets in since the new year, outfitters can finally predict the start date.
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Steve Massicotte, spokesman for the Saint-Anne River Outfitters Association, announces that if current temperatures hold, fans of this popular activity will finally be able to do so starting in mid-January.
“Currently, 90% of the river already has five inches of ice [Saint-Anne], I am great. Already on Monday we are going to install the piers, so we have January 15 as the date when the rooms will be in the river Saint-Anne,” assures the spokesperson.
“On January 20, the entire fishing village is sure to be set up for this 86th fishing festival,” he adds with a smile on his lips.
The representative explains that for the village to be located on a river, it would need “12 inches” of snow, or more than 30 centimeters, with winter temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius.
“We see -15 degrees coming and the coming snow will help us finalize our descent. We will water this snow. […] After that, the installation will begin,” he maintains.
However, he notes that the season will start gradually.
“Let's start with about twenty, thirty rooms. By January 17-18, almost the entire village will be ready, and by the end of the 20th week, the entire river will be ready with rooms set up every day. Live on the ice surface of the Sainte-Anne River.
“We see that the long term is positive, for us we have fallen into winter,” he said without concealing his delight.
***Watch the full interview in the video above***
