Spring Mack Days Week 1 results

The 2021 Spring Mack Days fishing event has drawn 558 registered anglers so far, with a total of 105 hitting the water and turning in at least one or more lake trout entries. Many anglers fished all three days of the first weekend.

Entries will be taken through May 16, and there is no entry fee.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes sponsor the events, which are sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.Mack Days events are used as a management tool to reduce the numbers of non-native lake trout and increase numbers of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.

Competitive categories are on Friday to Sunday. Monday through Thursday fishing counts for tagged fish and adds to their totals at the conclusion of the event for bonus amounts, plus there are now cash prizes for Monday to Thursday. Check out the prize list, fish pickup sites, rules, fish ID, etc., at www.mackdays.com.

There is one $10,000 tagged lake trout, three worth $5,000, five worth $1,000 and over 9,000 with values from $100 to $500 in Flathead Lake. Anglers who turned in tagged fish the first weekend were Christopher Shae of Kalispell and Toby Thompson of Bigfork ($100); and Tyler Varga of Kalispell and Tristen Persico of Missoula ($200). Tagged fish are caught all over the lake from boats and from shore.

The first weekend total came to 3,586 lake trout entries. Temperatures were a little cool for the first weekend. There were some rough times on the water with cold, wind, rain and hail. Friday’s total was 1,486, Saturday’s total was 1,129, and Sunday’s total was at 971 lake trout entries. Anglers can donate their catch to be processed or they may keep their fish. All fish are to be kept on ice if they are donated.

Riley Anderson of Kalispell turned in a 40-inch 21.25-pound lake trout entry. To turn in an entry for “The largest lake trout” competition, it has to be over 36 inches and weigh at least 20 pounds. “The Smallest lake trout” competition entries were; Larry Ashwell with a 198 mm and Storm Kemppainen of Columbia Falls with a 192 mm lake trout.

The Top Ten Angler category ended with week one leader Mike Benson of Lonepine with 175 entries, 89 on Friday, 31 on Saturday, and 55 on Sunday. Jason Mahlen of Kalispell is currently in second place with a total of 170 entries. Scott Bombard of Missoula is third with 158 entries, followed by Steven Benson of Spokane Valley, Wash. (147),

Ken Varga of Kalispell (132), Jack Kirkland of Missoula (128), Bob Turner of Kalispell (127), Kolton Turner of Kalispell (120), Sam Cusker of Bigfork (119), and Larry Ashwell of Missoula with 110. The limit for lake trout is 100 fish per day.

First weekend winners of $100 each were: Chris Demmons and Tristan Persico of Missoula, and Ken Varga, Shane Stratton and Kolton Turner of Kalispell.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are still following COVID guidelines to keep everyone safe, so please follow procedures when turning in fish. Please keep a distance of 6 feet and wear a mask when turning in your catch. There will be no awards ceremony or fish fry on the last day of the event.

Lottery drawings that begin at $50 and go up to $1,000. There will be 67 lottery drawings, and every weekend there will be five $100 drawings. Monday to Thursday there will be 14 drawings. All entries turned in by anglers are entered in a computer file. Drawings are done electronically by a computer-generated program and are witnessed by staff.

Safety on the water is very important. Know the daily weather report and watch for changes, have safety equipment available on board, keep your cell phone in a sealed bag, and have a plan. For more information please visit www.mackdays.com.