Week 6 Fall Mack Days results reported
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Shaunda Albert of Ronan and Lindsay Carter and Britton Salois of Pablo pose for a photo with one of their nice lake trout entries in 2024 Fall Mack Days on Flathead Lake.
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FLATHEAD RESERVATION Six of the 2024 Top Ten anglers in the Mack Days fishing event have fished 18 straight days of weekend fishing on Flathead Lake. Top Ten Anglers are ranked on their best 18-day average at the conclusion of the event. As they fish past the eighteen days their lowest total is dropped and replaced by the higher total. They lose tickets on those days-but they do receive tickets for the difference between the low number and the new high number, which helps to give other anglers more of a chance in the lottery drawings. The total of their fish count does not change, and they get credit for it in the bonus amounts paid out. There are up to $200,000 in cash and prizes that will be awarded at the end of the event on Nov. 3. Mack Days fishing events are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Categories are designed to cover every angler with several different categories. Youth categories include age 12 & under and ages 13-17, Ladies, Golden Oldies (age 70 & over), Top Twenty Anglers, weekend drawings, weekday drawings, Largest and Smallest Lake Trout, etc. Check out the rules page on the website at: www.mackdays.com for more information.
These events are used as a fisheries management tool to reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake and preserve and increase the native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout populations. Native fish are at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with the non-native lake trout. Lake trout spawn most every year once they are of age and they produce many, many small lake trout. Slowly decreasing their numbers is the reason for the events. As the years go by, it is hoped using this management tool that native fish populations will respond by increasing their populations and become more stable for future generations. Anglers asked for the opportunity to help with this fish conservation effort and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes became the sponsors of the events to ensure the future of native fish continues for many generations.
Total entries at the end of six weeks are 12,762. The Monday-Thursday total is 2,499, and the Friday to Sunday total is 10,263. Friday’s total was 591, Saturday’s total was 514, and Sunday’s total was 532. Daily top numbers were: Monday - Lyndon Lee of Canada with 47, Tuesday - Bob Stewart of Kalispell with 37, Wednesday - Lyndon Lee with 21, and Thursday - Jerry Benson of Plains with 48. Getting top numbers for Friday was Patrick Casey of Townsend with 84, for Saturday - Patrick with 43, and Sunday - Mike Benson of Lonepine with 62.
Jerry Benson is still leading the anglers with a total of 1,015 lake trout entries - his Friday total was 35, Saturday was 14, and Sunday was 30. His eighteen-day average is 56.39. Mike Benson is in 2nd place with 1,009 entries (37, 34, 62 -56.06 avg.), in third place is David McDaniel of Polson with 655 (25, 22, 32 -36.39 avg.), in 4th place is Terry Krogstad of Kalispell with 518 (35, 9, 15 -28.78), in 5th place is Larry Ashwell of Missoula with 495 (28, 27, 42 -27.5), in 6th place is Richard Kreis of Huson with 483 (12, 13, 0 -28.41 in 17 days), in 7th place is Jack Kirkland of Lolo with 472 (28, 41, 26 -29.5 in 16 days), in 8th place is Patrick Casey with 453 (84, 43, 8 -25.17), in 9th place is Larry Karper of Florence with 363 (0, 0, 0,) in 10th place is Laurie Kreis of Huson with 353 (19, 0, 0 -23.53 in 15 days), Julie Perkins of Kalispell is in 11th place with 340, in 12th place is Carey Hauser of Lakeside with 277, 13th place is Dan Deutschman of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, with 267, in 14th place is Felix Gauci of Stevensville with 257, in 15th place is Clint Speer of Kalispell with 212, in 16th place is Bryan Long of Columbia Falls with 209, in 17th place is Mark McMillin of Missoula with 205, in 18th place is Joe Minnehan of Kalispell with 175, in 19th place is Steve Mack of Helena with 167, and in 20th place is Lyndon Lee of British Columbia with 156.
Lady angler Laurie Kreis is first place in the Ladies Category with 353, in 2nd place is Julie Perkins with 340, in 3rd place is Debby Sacchi of Thompson Falls with 95, in 4th place is Kim Mack of Helena with 49, and in 5th place is Lorinda Freeman of Polson with 25.
James Kuchera of Kalispell has 8 in the 13-17 age category. Blaine Helvey of Thompson Falls is first place in the 12 & under category with 20, in 2nd place is Paisley Helvey of Thompson Falls with 18, in 3rd place is Bear Yarrow of Frenchtown with 6, Eli Yang, Bucky Yarrow-Tayzee Whimper of Frenchtown, and Zander Oliver of Missoula all have 2, Payton Kuchera from Kalispell and Lindsay Carter of Pablo each have one entry.
Mike Benson has 1009 in the 70 & over Category, in 2nd place is Terry Krogstad with 518, in 3rd place is Larry Ashwell with 495, in 4th place is Jack Kirkland with 472, and in 5th place is Larry Karper with 363.
Winning weekend drawings were: $200 - Julie Perkins; $100 - Terry Krogstad X 2, Clint Speer, and Laurie Kreis.
Sunday, Oct. 20, is the third and final day of the Bucket of Fish competition.
There are three weeks of the event left but it is not too late to come out and get some entries in the competition for the lottery drawings.
The $10,000 tagged lake trout “Johnny Cash” is still swimming in the depths of the lake. There was one $200 tagged lake trout turned in by Todd Wood of Ronan during the sixth week. Every angler would like to catch the $10,000 tagged lake trout or even one of three $5,000 fish, five $1,000 fish, or one of the 9,000 fish with values from $100-$500. A tagged fish has a clipped adipose fin. You cannot see the tag.
Be safe out there. Cooler weather is coming so be prepared. Have all safety equipment on board your boat.
Nov. 3 is the last day of the event. All entries are to be turned in by 3 p.m. at Blue Bay.
Good luck and tight lines everyone.
