YINCHUAN, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A walk around any frozen lake in the bitterly cold winter here in Northwest China will almost always mean encountering some anglers braving the weather for some ice fishing.

Last Sunday, some 600 anglers from 120 teams of 15 provinces and regions including Heilongjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia went ice fishing together at Ruyi Lake in Helan county, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The donned orange life jackets and chopped holes through the ice to access the water.

"I have participated in many ice fishing contests during the past 10 years. I like this event a lot, because it is both healthy and entertaining," said Zhao Jun, who is member of a Shanghai team.

Liu Hongliang, an angler from northeast China's Liaoning Province said this was his second time to come to Ningxia.

"It's a group job, and I am happy to be part of the team. Ice fishing is really a cool thing," he added.

According to the organizers, the group winner and the individual winner will be awarded 18,000 RMB (about 2,797 USD) and 5,000 RMB (777 USD) respectively, with the total prize pot reaching 100,000 RMB (about 15,538 USD).

In recent years, ice fishing has become more and more popular in Ningxia. This weekend, ice fishers could be seen on almost every lake. During winter, the local sports bureau organizes ice fishing competitions for anglers of all skill levels.

In December of last year, a regional ice fishing competition was also held in Yongning County, Ningxia, attracting over 160 ice fishers and fans.