Mack Days competition tightens

Only nine fish separate the top anglers in the Mack Days competition. 

After five weekends of fishing, nine lake trout are all that separate the top two angler totals in the 2016 Fall Mack Days Fishing Event on Flathead Lake. 

A total of 9,951 lake trout have been entered so far. Boats are trolling in depths from 70-90 feet around the steep rocky areas, jigging is working well for others, and casting is increasing as the fish come in closer to spawn at this time of the year. Shore anglers have experienced some success as well. 

Mike Benson of Lonepine is leading the top 10 competition, turning in 182 fish over the weekend for a total of 803. Terry Krogstad of Kalispell is in second with 794, with a weekend total of 204. Felix Gauci of Stevensville is in third with 586 fish and a weekend total of 97. Karper of Florence moved up two notches to fourth place with 157 fish over the weekend for a grand total of 395. Sam Cusker of Whitefish is in fifth with 380 fish, and a weekend total of 57. Scott Bombard of Missoula is in sixth with 362 fish and a weekend total of 73. Larry Ashwell of Missoula is in seventh, with 298 fish. In eighth place is Richard Kreis of Huson, with 296 fish, 98 caught over the weekend. Bob Stewart of Missoula is ninth with 282 fish and a weekend total of 77. Two Hot Springs anglers are tied for 10th place, with Danny Smith and Greg Karlson each turning in 211 fish so far. Top ten anglers are placed by their best 15-day average. Three weekends remain and totals can change rapidly. 

Laurie Kreis of Huson sits in 15th place over all, but is in first place in the Ladies Category with 130 fish. Brandy Hilde of Whitefish is 20th over all, and in second place among the ladies, with 107 fish. Gina Schiff of Whitefish and Jeanee Mooney of Missoula are in fourth and fifth place respectively. 

The $10,000 tagged lake trout is still out there waiting for some lucky angler. There are also three fish worth $5,000, and five fish worth $1,000. 

Larry Karper of Florence is in first in the age 70 and older category, with 395 fish. Glenn Hoffman of Missoula is second, with 128 fish. Bob Christensen of Missoula is third with 93 fish. Leonard Lewis is fourth with 92 fish and Jerry Luderman of Kalispell is fifth with 20 fish. 

The second day of the Bucket of Fish Competition was on Saturday with the team of Richard and Laurie Kreis turning in a full bucket of four fish that 30.3 pounds. Second place was Monte and Donna McPherson of Silverdale, Wash., with a bucket weighing 19.85 pounds. Scott Bombard of Missoula took third with a 18.95-pound bucket. Tim and Jeanee Mooney of Missoula captured fourth with a weight of 18.25 pounds and Mike Benson took fifth with a weight of 17.3 pounds. 

Tyler Varga remains the leader in the 13 to 19-year-old category with 50 fish. Danner Shima is second with 12 fish. The 12 and under category has one entry: Dalton Kluesner of Frenchtown with one fish.

Mack Days is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and is used as a management tool to reduce numbers of non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake.

Anglers can fish Friday through Sunday for the competitive part of the event, while fish caught Tuesday through Thursday are counted towards angers’ bonus amounts and tagged fish. Once an angler turns in 11 fish they begin to accumulate bonus dollars that increase throughout the competition. Go to www.mackdays.com for information or call 406-270-3386.

Mack Days ends on Nov. 13th with a fish fry and awards for friends and families at the Blue Bay Campground beginning at 3 p.m.