2013 Fall Mack Days underway
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News from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Natural Resource Department
FLATHEAD LAKE — The fishing on Flathead Lake was phenomenal the first weekend of the 2013 Fall Mack Days Fishing Event. The weather was great for fishing and the anglers were catching. The total for the first weekend of the event was 2,114 lake trout entries. Mack Days is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Up to $125,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the event on Nov. 17. All it takes is one fish to win in the lottery style drawing for prizes of $1,000 to $200. Each fish an angler enters gives them one ticket in the drawing. Once an angler reaches 15 days they are limited by their average for tickets.
During the first weekend, Fridays total was 610, Saturday was 745, and Sunday anglers turned in 759 lake trout for a total of 2,114 hooked. The same weekend in the 2012 Fall event, 1,494 lake trout were turned in.
Categories for other prizes are Ladies, Youth 12 and under and age 13-17, Top 10 Anglers, Captains, Golden Anglers-70 and over, Weekend Prizes, Smallest and Largest Lake Trout, etc. Go to www.mackdays.com for information on the prizes categories.
Once an angler reaches 20 lake trout entries they begin to receive bonus amounts depending on their totals at the end of the event.
There are over 4,000 tagged lake trout with values from $10,000 to $100. Catching a tagged fish is part of the excitement of fishing Mack Days. Anglers are able to catch them from shore and from the boats. Turning in a fish at Blue Bay caught from shore, angler Kevin Dupuis of Polson was pleased to learn he had won $100. Tagged fish have the adipose fin clipped and are scanned when entered. Other $100 tagged lake trout were turned in by Gary Stolz of Missoula (2), Max Martz of Corvallis, John Gauci of Florence, Tim Mooney of Missoula, Phil Meredith of Kalispell (3), Bob Syvrud of Polson, Danny Smith of Hot Springs, Mike Benson of Lonepine (2), and Shawn Madsen of Polson.
Bill Swaney of Missoula and Bill McIntyre of Conrad turned in $200 tagged fish. Information from the tagged fish is used for estimating population and also movement of the fish.
Leading the lady anglers is Jeanee Mooney of Missoula with 57 lake trout. In second place is Deana Knipe of Polson with 42. Third place is Kim McMillie of Ronan with 15. Fourth place is Debbie Maze of Kalispell with 14. Fifth place is Laurie Kreis of Huson with 8.
Mike Benson of Lonepine ended the first weekend with 181 trout. Roger Dilts of Polson caught 172. Max Martz of Corvallis caught 171. Danny Smith of Hot Springs was in fourth place with148. Scott Bombard of Missoula rounded out the top five with 142. John Gauci of Florence was in sixth place with 115.Tim Mooney of Missoula was in seventh place with 117, Phil Meredith of Kalispell caught 100 and was in eighth place, Larry Ashwell of Missoula caught 79 and was in 9th place. Larry Karper of Florence rounded out the top ten with 71.
Eric Sams, in the age 13-17 category turned in 27 trout and Tom McDonald of Nirada turned in five. Dawson Dumont of Charlo turned in one lake trout in the 12 and under group.
Golden anglers are led by Glenn Hoffman of Missoula with 25 trout. In second place is Ralph Johnson of Columbia Falls with 17. In third place is Jens Gran of Polson with nine. Leonard Lewis of Plains and Jim Hoover of Whitefish each caught six.
Entries are taken until the last day of the event, Sunday, Nov. 17. Anglers will fish Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Nov. 7 and then 10 straight days through the Nov. 17. Enter at any time to get into the drawings or to have a chance at catching that $10,000 tagged lake trout, or five tagged at $5,000, ten fish tagged at $1,000 or more than 4,000 other tagged lake trout.
Mack Days Events are used as a management tool to slowly reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake. Native fish populations — bull trout and westslope cutthroat — have declined dramatically over the years in Flathead Lake. Increasing native fish numbers in the Flathead system is important for the future of these fish. The native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout are a part of the history of the Flathead Lake system, the state of Montana, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. It is illegal to catch and harvest any bull trout in Flathead Lake. Westslope cutthroat trout are catch and release only in Flathead Lake. The Mack Days website has links for fish indentificaton or telephone any Montana Fish,Wildlife and Parks or Tribal Natural Resource Department office for information.
We remind everyone to always think safety first when fishing the lake. Have a plan: let someone know when to expect you to return, keep informed on weather changes and watch when you are out there for signs a storm may be approaching.
Go to the Mack Days website www.mackdays.com for information about the event prizes and bonuses, to view the DVD clips on fishing for lake trout, check on bull trout ID, see maps of Flathead Lake and more. For more information, call (406) 883-2888 ext. 7294.
