Spring Mack Days breaks records

BLUE BAY - Hundreds of anglers and their families came out to Blue Bay last Sunday for a fish fry to celebrate the completion of the new, extended spring Mack Days tournament.

"This has been a great tournament," Mack Days organizer and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes fisheries specialist Cindy Benson said. "These guys have worked so hard."

The hard work paid off as a record number of fish were caught during the expanded event. Enlarged from seven to 11 weeks, the new format was a hit as anglers brought in close to 35,000 lake trout, a number that nearly tripled the amount caught during last spring's event. Organizers, including the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Flathead Lake Co-Management Plan, had hoped for 25,000 lake trout.

The 32nd day of fishing concluded with a winner familiar to those who have followed the tournament. Stephen Naethe, a 17-year-old from Pablo, took his third consecutive title after hauling in more than 1,300 fish over the span of the event. He led from week one, netting himself 17 total 50-fish limit days.

"This was a tough year," Naethe said, who won the spring and fall tournaments in 2009. "I think I had it pretty much tied down."

There was a top-11 this year because of a tie for tenth place. Those top anglers caught a combined 9,000 fish. Columbia Falls had three anglers in the top 11, the most of any community, while five Lake County anglers made the top 11.

Nicole Peters, of Missoula, won the women's division with 356, followed by Laurie Randall, of St. Ignatius, with 264 fish, and third place finisher Debbie O'Hara, also of St. Ignatius, with 211. Four top-10 finishers were from Polson, while six were from Lake County.

Garett Vaughn, of Charlo, took the 12-and-under title with 252 entries, while Tanner Murry, of Columbia Falls, took second with 140. Daniel Hunt, of St. Ignatius, took third with 115 fish.

Naethe's age qualified him for the 13-17 bracket, which he won with his 1,356 entries. Brady Weible, of Charlo, took second with 203 while Connor Kowalski, of Florence, took third with 75.

Tournament rules dictate that anglers pick their 15 best days of fishing to earn first place. The event is 33 days, but the final one is considered a separate event. Since Naethe had 17 limit days, his average was 50. Hot on his trail was Steven Benson, who finished just shy, catching 47 fish on Saturday, the last day of the tournament, to give him 14 limit days. His 15-day average was 49.8, leaving him three fish short of being co-champion.

"The biggest thing about it is focus," said Naethe, who fished all 33 days. "You can't afford to fall asleep."

Most teenagers have trouble staying awake, but Naethe didn't sleep much during the tournament, saying he'd wake up at 3 a.m. to be on the water by 5 a.m. If he didn't have his limit, he'd stay on the lake until dark, which was sometimes 9:30 or 10 p.m. He estimated he averaged 10 hours a day on the water, meaning an incredible 330 hours of fishing. The long days can become taxing, Naethe admitted, so he is excited to have a break - at least until October, when he'll defend his title.

"My favorite thing is the last day, sitting around with these guys and BSing," he said. "It's nice to trade stories and get to stand outside and relax in the sunshine while enjoying a good meal."

Among those fish, Naethe said he caught anything from eight to 40 inches, including eight tagged prize fish. He held the biggest fish record with a 41-inch, 30-pound behemoth for a few weeks before Nicole Peters, who plucked a monstrous 45-inch, 38.5-pound lake trout for a Mother's Day surprise three weeks ago, dethroned him.

Naethe said he fished both the north and south ends of the lake, but found most success in Yellow Bay and Skidoo Bay.

"That's the funniest thing is that I don't have any secrets," said Naethe, who fishes out of a 16-foot aluminum boat with an ultralight Ugly Stick. "People anchor up next to me and then tell everyone that I'm doing the same things as everyone else."

Part of the attraction of Mack Days to many is the $100,000 in prizes awarded to participants. But to Naethe, the cash isn't the most appealing part, even though he racked up thousands of dollars in prize money.

"The paycheck is the least of it for me," he said.

Rather, the tournament is part of the Flathead Lake Co-Management Plan, a way to help reduce the numbers of invasive lake trout. The hope is to get native bull trout to once again prosper. The issue has become contentious, as commercial and recreational anglers face off against conservation groups in the area that hope for bolder efforts to manage the lake trout numbers.

"I think the whole movement is a great cause," Naethe said. "They're managing it in a way that the rest of the fisherman can agree on. I take my part seriously because it's up to us anglers to make sure they don't implement gill netting."

Mack Days will restart in the fall for a seven-week event as organizers hope the success from the spring event will carry over to future tournaments.