by Peter Carter photos: Pierre St. Jacques Ice Town, Quebec (part 4) Already there are signs that they’re succeeding, judging by the squeals of delight coming from behind the closed door over at one of Eric Bédard’s cabins. Inside, a giggling trio of children are leaping around as if the floor were a trampoline. One of them is wielding a freshly caught tomcod and the others simply don’t know what to make of it. Their mom is reeling with laughter as their dad stands back, grinning at the chaos. So it goes the first time kids catch a fish—they don’t know whether to dance around or hug the thing. And it doesn’t much matter whether they catch a tomcod, a smelt or a lazy old pike, that first catch will stay with them forever.       Never mind that this was a Thursday, a school day. André and Christine Théberge, a storybook-handsome couple from Quebec City, had expressly yanked their trio out of preschool and kindergarten to take in some ice fishing. This was the first trip to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade for everyone but André, who used to come to “seriously party” with his pals. LE PETIT POISSON Scientific name: Microgadus tomcod Common names: Atlantic tomcod, frostfish, loche, petite morue, petit poisson des chenaux, snig, tommy cod, winter cod Range: Tomcod can be found in saltwater, brackish water and freshwater along the Atlantic coast, from Labrador south to Virginia. The tomcod that spawn beneath the ice at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, for example, travel up the Sainte-Anne River from the nearby St. Lawrence Size: Don’t expect a trophy. The average tomcod measures six to 12 inches in length and rarely weighs more than a pound. But what they lack in size, they make up for with their tasty white flesh and sheer abundance—a determined angler can hook hundreds of tomcod over the course of several hours.      He laments how difficult it is to find reasonably priced family entertainment these days—a trip to a pro sports event, for example, can set you back more than a hundred bucks if you’re not careful. But for folks like the Théberge family, a trip from Quebec City to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade is cheap, especially if they pack a lunch. And if they want their kids to catch fish, they’ll certainly get their fill.      There’s a knock at the door and in steps a clown—a purple, onion-shaped character wearing a wonky-looking purple hat—with huge polka dots painted on her face. She’s festooned with souvenirs, toys and candies for sale, along with a Polaroid camera for taking instant photos of guests and their fish. Wide go the children’s eyes. Out comes André’s wallet, and a few dollars later the three children are sucking on maple sugar candies as the clown leaves in search of other anglers. Just think: these three kids are out of school, they get to play around a wood stove, they’ve caught real live fish and now this. No way will they ever forget this February field trip. The sun is directly overhead and the shadows are short as lunchtime diners make their way to Roger Gagnon’s tiny on-ice restaurant. Inside, Gagnon is preparing a small order of five tomcod. He nimbly cuts off their heads and cleans them, but leaves in the bones before coating them with flour and garlic salt. He then fries each fish in butter for about five minutes per side so that the meat will peel away easily from the bone. The phone rings. Somebody else is putting in an order for an on-ice delivery.      Gagnon doesn’t actually own the restaurant; it belongs to one of the outfitters. “This is like entertainment for me,” he laughs, noting that he wouldn’t have much to do in the winter if he weren’t behind the counter as chief cook and delivery guy. Come spring, after the cabins have been hauled off the ice and after the crocuses have come and gone, you’ll find Gagnon tending the stove over at the restaurant in town that he does own, the Casse-croute Ti-Pi l’international, which is open from May until September.      “I think someday I’ll sell the place and retire—for good,” Gagnon admits. “Except from the ice fishing. I’ll never retire from that.”      Spoken like a true resident of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade. PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4