Renowned Muskrat Lake ice fishing competition cancelled for unsafe ice conditions

Muskrat Lake in Cobden, Ont. has been named one of the top ice fishing destinations in Canada this winter by company Fishing Booker.

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According to the fishing trip company, it stands up against other locations in the country such as Muskoka Lakes in Ontario and Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories.

A large factor in the praise for the Ottawa Valley lake, located about 123 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, is the Cobden Civitan Club's annual ice fishing derby, held the first Saturday of February each year.

But for the second year in a row, the Civitan Club has cancelled the event due to unsafe ice conditions.

"It is disappointing because three years ago when we had 16 inches of black ice, the lake was covered with people," said Tom Agnew, co-chair of the ice fishing derby.

The club says despite recent frigid temperatures, not enough ice has formed on top of the lake and with upcoming mild weather ahead of the derby, conditions are only set to worsen.

"We thought, rather than risk it, anybody falling through or a whole bunch of people getting killed, that we would postpone the fishing part of it," said Agnew.

Fellow Civitan Club member and Whitewater Region volunteer firefighter John Cull lives on the water along Muskrat Lake and says some parts of the lake only froze over days ago.

"Three days ago, it was wide open water," Cull told CTV News.

At its peak, Cobden's ice fishing derby can draw up to 1,000 people to Muskrat Lake, doubling the small town's population.

But Cull says the conditions have not been near cold enough for the ice to support the weight of all those fishermen and their vehicles.

"We would like to see a minimum of 15 inches of black ice. 20 inches or 24 inches would be great," he said.

"We'd need clear conditions, no snow, minus 15 C to minus 20 C day and night for at least two weeks."

The Cobden Civitan Club will still sell tickets for prize draws, which support community organizations such as Hospice Renfrew, The Robbie Dean Centre, ConnectWell Community Health and Victim Services Renfrew County.

While Muskrat Lake is not quite ready to handle the weight of a weekend long fishing derby, less than a dozen ice fishing huts could still be seen on frozen parts of the lake on Saturday.

"There's probably a solid eight to ten inches right now and it varies somewhat up the lake. As you go up the lake it gets deeper and the ice isn't as safe," said Jack Hodson of Pembroke, who frequently ice fishes on Muskrat Lake.

When asked what makes the lake an attraction for ice fishers, Hodson said it is the variety of fish available to catch.

"You can catch anything from Pike to lake trout, Walleye, Crappie, Pan fish, anything you want, you can catch it."

"A lot of its to do with the depths that go from 12 inches deep to 290 feet deep," said Cull.

"So they catch stuff in this lake they don't ever catch in other lakes."