2016 Fall Mack Days opens
courtesy photo
Bob Turner of Kalispell holds his large lake trout entry in 2015 Fall Mack Days.
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News from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
FLATHEAD LAKE — The 2016 Fall Mack Days Fishing Event sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes began Sept. 23 and continues through Nov. 13.
Anglers can eat, sleep and breathe fishing for 45 days — what more could an angler ask for? Anglers may fish every day Tuesday through Sunday or they may decide to fish just a few days, or only one day. Up to $150,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded and all it takes is one fish to have a ticket in the drawing. Tuesday-Thursday is for bonus amounts and tagged fish only — no lottery tickets.
New to this event will be special tickets Tuesday-Thursday for two $500 prizes. Anglers can turn in live fish to the fisheries staff on the lake that will be tagging lake trout during the week. Friday-Sunday will be regular fishing days for other prizes plus the bonus amounts and tagged fish — one ticket for each lake trout under 30 inches. There is one $10,000, three $5,000, and five $1,000 tagged fish plus more than 6,000 with values from $500-$100.
Categories for special prizes are top-10 anglers, largest fish, smallest fish, top ladies, top youth, weekend prizes, etc., plus there is a lottery style drawing with 27 cash prizes that begin at $1,000 and go to $500. Anglers receive one ticket for each fish they enter. Tickets are put into a drum and prizes drawn.
Mack Days are used as a fisheries management tool to reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake while increasing the native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, which were abundant throughout the lake in past years.
The 2015 Fall Event total was the highest in lake trout numbers with 19,525 harvested in 45 days of fishing. Terry Krogstad of Kalispell was top angler with 1,251 entries and a 15-day average of 65.0.
The next highest harvest was 18,357 during the Fall 2011 event, with 28 days of fishing. Wes Shockley of Plains was top angler that year with 1,353 and average of 67.0. Top angler in 2014 was Mike Benson of Lonepine with 1,037 and 58.2 average. There were a total of 12,888 lake trout entries in the 2014 Fall event. Terry Krogstad also won the 2013 Fall Event which had a total of 14,336 lake trout entered. Terry won it with 956 entries and 63.7 average.
Go to the Mack Days website www.mackdays.com for additional information on categories, tagging contact information, rules, fishing tips, fish identification, boat safety, and other information.
