Fall Mack Days announced

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes announce that they will sponsor a 2013 Fall Mack Days beginning October 4th running through November 17, 2013.  Fall Mack Days will include the last 10 days straight fishing from November 8th through November 17th.

Mack Days began in the fall of 2002 to help correct an imbalance in the Flathead Lake trout fishery caused by the continually increasing population of lake trout. Mack Days represents a new approach to fisheries management, one that strives to directly involve the angling public in shaping the fish community. The success of Mack Days fishing events continues to grow, and we commend the angler’s for their part in this success.

For more information regarding Fall Mack Days contact Cindy Benson at 883-2888 ext. 7294 or go to www.mackdays.com

Fishing During Warm Temperatures

In other fishing news, anglers should be aware that streams on the Reservation have experienced a relatively long period of 80 to 90 degree days this summer, and this stresses fish by raising the temperatures of area water bodies.  Anglers need to be aware about how stressful these conditions are on fish if they are fishing on Tribal lands.

High stream temperatures co-occur with low flows, so fish are crowded in deeper, cooler habitats, leaving them stressed from competition, crowding, and predation by other fish and mammals.  The physiological stress leaves them vulnerable to disease.

Warm stream temperatures also stress fish by increasing metabolic demands. Oxygen is less soluble in warm water, so oxygen levels are lower during warm conditions.

Optimal stream temperatures for trout are typically less than 60 degrees and for some species, such as bull trout, much lower.  Stream temperatures above the mid 70s can be lethal to trout.

Anglers can help.  Here are a couple of warm weather fishing tips:

Take a thermometer. Fish in early morning hours; stream temperatures show large fluctuations in many streams, with the lowest temperatures occurring in early morning and then increasing again after about 10 a.m. on hot days.

Do not play the fish to exhaustion.

Keep the fish in water as much as possible.

Think about fishing in higher elevation streams and lakes, where temperatures are less extreme.