Originally published by CBC

Every year, more than 100,000 visitors flood the small village of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade in Quebec’s Mauricie region, where 1,000,000 tomcod fish swim upstream from the St. Lawrence River estuary in time for the ice fishing season. 

ice fishing Sainte-Anne River
At the height of the fishing season, some 450 fishing chalets will be installed on the Sainte-Anne River. (Hadi Hassin/Radio-Canada)

“It’s a village inside a village,” said Steve Massicotte, president of the Sainte-Anne River Outfitters Association. He called the tomcod’s journey to the region “unique in the world.”

The entrance fee is $30 for adults during the holiday period and $25 on weekdays as of Jan. 6. Entrance is half price for children between the ages of six and 12, and free for children under five years old.

This year, Massicotte says outfitters are benefiting from ideal weather conditions for the fishing. The river froze early, on Nov. 16, and is thick at 50 centimetres. 

To read the complete article about ice fishing on the Sainte-Anne River, visit CBC.ca.

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