Angler pulls in $500 tagged fish during contest
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News from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
FLATHEAD LAKE — Week three of the 2017 Spring Mack Days had the lowest total catch so far for the event with 2,366. Anglers have turned in a total of 13,694 lake trout over the first three weeks. The 2017 Spring Mack Days nine-week fishing event on Flathead Lake continues through May 14.
Youth angler Hayden Hall and his dad Brian of Missoula struggled to catch fish on Saturday. They lost several fish, and the young angler was a little bit disappointed, but he still had a smile on his face when he came through the door. At the end of the day, they had one fish that Hayden reeled in, all the way to the boat.
Brian, the father, had an idea that the lake trout his son caught was a tagged fish. It had a clipped adipose fin, which is the tell-tale sign for a tagged fish, so they were eager to see if the scanner would beep for the tag and sure enough it did.
Hayden was told his tagged lake trout was worth $500. It no longer mattered that it was the only fish that had landed in the boat. It was a nice ending to a hard day of fishing.
Mack Days on Flathead Lake, sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, runs from March 17-May 14 with up to $225,000 in cash prizes. The event is a tool to reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake and increase the number of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, which are native to the waters and are part of the cultural history of the tribes and the state of Montana.
Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event. Go to www.mackdays.com for information on the event, prizes, rules, etc. or telephone 406-270-3386.
Anglers are required to have an AIS boat inspection done before entering any fish. The inspections can be done in Pablo seven days a week from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. or by calling 406-270- 3386 to arrange an inspection at Blue Bay.
Top Ten Anglers
Michael Benson of Lonepine 556
Felix Gauci 511
Scott Bombard Sam Cusker 487
Steven Benson 456
Ryan Shima 419
Danner Shima 417
Larry Karper 386
Jason Mahlen 366
David McDaniel 336
Women
Julie Woolley 120 (last week)
Julie Vacca 108
Brandy Hilde 101
Janine Kowalski 46
Debbie Amdahl 41
Youth age 13-17
Tyler Varga 208
Jack Paul 65
Leah Banyai 44
Dylan Hodgson 17
Abby Hodgson 16
Youth age 12 and under
Matt Guckenberg Jr. 50
Rylan Cook 33
Kayne Kirwan 12
Logan Lang 8
Wyatt Thompson 4
Age 70-plus
Larry Karper 386
Bob Christensen 167
Gary Perleberg 95
Bernd Albrecht 46
Jim Hoover 30
Heaviest Bucket of Fish
Ted Peterson and Paul Gyles 24.6 pounds
Brian Sailer 22.25 pounds
Bob Christensen 19.25 pounds
Bob and Kolton Turner 15.5 pounds
Banyai Boat 14.65 pounds
