Spring Mack Days start March 19
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
News from CSKT
FLATHEAD LAKE — Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake will begin Friday, March 19, and end on Sunday, May 16.
This lake trout angling event is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks with up to $225,000 in cash and prizes to be awarded to the lake trout anglers at the conclusion of the event.
It is an angler’s dream: 59 total days of lake trout fishing on Flathead Lake. Anglers can fish one day or every day. All it takes is one fish to win a cash prize in the lottery-style drawing.
The first Mack Days Fishing Event was developed in 2002 for fishing enthusiasts of all ages and skills to participate in and support the conservation effort to increase native fish populations in the lake and slowly decrease the numbers of nonnative lake trout.
Native bull trout and west slope cutthroat trout dominated the lake for hundreds of years before the lake trout population exploded in the 1960s and 1970s and took over as the dominant fish.
Native fisheries of the lake continue to be an important part of the fishing heritage of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal people, as well as anglers within the state of Montana. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are committed to this effort and continue to sponsor two Mack Days events per year, every spring and fall.
During the first Mack Days event in 2002, a total of 888 lake trout entries were turned in during 15 days of fishing. There were 80 anglers registered. The largest number of fish entries occurred during the 2019 Spring Event with 40,362 lake trout entries turned in. Two hundred nineteen anglers caught one or more lake trout out of the 614 anglers that were registered for the event during 48 days on the lake. There will be one $10,000 tagged lake trout; three $5,000; and five $1,000 fish. There will also be over 9,000 fish with values from $100 to $500.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes realize the costs associated with fishing these events with the number of hours and days that anglers put in. The investment for equipment, fuel and food add up, so bonus-drawing amounts are set up to correlate with fish entire totals turned in by anglers. These drawings help pay anglers for some of the expenses of helping with the management of these fish. There will be 35 lottery drawings that will begin at $450 and go up to $1,000, drawn at the conclusion of the event, along with merchandise and cash drawings. The total amount of both drawings totals $29,800.
Check out the prizes and categories available on the website www.mackdays.com.
Another bonus added to the event is that every boat captain who catches a lake trout receives a special entry for that day, plus they receive one entry for every angler on their boat who also catches a lake trout. There will be a special drawing on Easter and Mother’s Day for a cooler, sweatshirts and fishing poles.
Jason Mahlen has the target on his back as the leading Spring Mack Days angler. He has placed first in the spring event seven times for the past three years. His highest total for an event was 2,134 lake trout entries in 2019. One hundred lake trout is the daily limit on Flathead Lake. Mahlen turned in several 100-fish days during the events.
Don’t be intimidated by the high number of entries that some anglers turn in because it only takes one fish to win a cash prize in the lottery-style drawing. There have been anglers who have caught one fish and it happened to be a tagged fish.
For tips on lake trout angling go to www.mackdays.com and check out the fishing videos. Make sure you know how to identify the native fish that need to be returned to the lake. If you are in doubt of any fish, put it back. Stay tuned to the weather conditions and have your safety equipment on board.
