Gran claims Fall Mack Days bucket title
The 2021 Fall Mack Days fishing event on Flathead Lake is nearly complete, and through eight weeks anglers had turned in nearly 13,000 lake trout entries. Last weekend’s total was 1,088 entries, with a fall total of 12,939. The event runs through Sunday, Nov. 14.
The last day of the three Bucket of Fish Days was Sunday. Lonepine angler Mike Benson’s 29.216-pound bucket edged out Polson angler Jen Gran’s 29.2-pound bucket for first place. Third place went to Rick Skates of Polson (23.1 pounds), fourth place was Richard and Laurie Kries of Huson with a 19.8-pound bucket, and fifth place was a 13.6-pound bucket entered by Larry Ashwell of Missoula.
Overall winners are Jen Gran with 26 pts, Rick Skates with 24 pts, and Mike Benson with 14 pts.
There will be no fish fry or awards celebration again this year on the last day of this event, due to COVID-19 precautions. Drawings will be done electronically on Monday by staff. Drawings begin at $50 and go to $2,000. There’s still time to get some entries in.
Freddy Mack, the $10,000 tagged lake trout, was caught by Terry Krogstad of Kalispell in early October, but there are three $5,000 tagged lake trout and five worth $1,000 still out there, along with more than 9,000 with values from $100 to $500.
Top 10 anglers
Mike Benson is in first place with 1,021 lake trout entries and a 52.4 18-day average of 52.4 entries. Felix Gauci of Stevensville is second with 902 and a 49.94 average, followed by Larry Karper (685 and 35.94), Jack Kirkland (565 and 29.61), Terry Krogstad (591 and 29.5), Scott Bombard of Missoula (557 and a 28.55), Julie Perkins (571 and 28.16), Larry Ashwell (524 and a 27.22), Sam Cusker of Bigfork (474 and a 26.11) and John Gauci (476 and 25.55).
Ladies
Julie Perkins leads the Ladies category with 571 entries, followed by Laurie Kreis (338), Kim Mack of Missoula (102), Gina Schiff of Whitefish (76) and Debby Sacci of Thompson Falls (51).
70 and over
Florence angler Larry Karper leads with 685 entries, followed by Jack Kirkland (565), Larry Ashwell (524), John Gauci of Florence (476) and Paul Grove of Wyoming, Ill. (101).
12 and under
Wyatt Best of Florence is first with five entries, and Brynn Blowers of Missoula has three.
13-17
Blake Williams of Big Arm leads with nine, followed by Ashlin Peters of Polson with two and Kaden Blowers of Missoula with one.
Catching $100 tagged lake trout during week eight were: Richard Kreis of Huson; Julie Perkins of Kalispell; Jack Kirkland of Missoula; Don Peter of Missoula; and Larry Ashwell of Missoula. Winners of the Week 8 weekend drawings were: $200, Bill Swaney of New Town, N.D.; $100, Laurie Kreis of Huson, Larry Karper of Florence, Larry Ashwell of Missoula and Bryon Long of Kalispell.
Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event. Visit www.mackdays.com or call 406-270-3386 for more information on the event, fish ID, weather, entries, etc.
Mack Days events, sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, are an effort to restore the native fish populations on Flathead Lake, which historically was filled with native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.
People tell stories of watching the “flats” rising in the evenings in Big Arm Bay and what a beautiful sight it was. Elders have told about ice fishing out by Wildhorse Island and having to make larger holes in the ice to get the bull trout out. Anglers out in boats caught bull trout that were large and fought valiant fights at the ends of twisting lines. There have been anglers from the Great Lakes area who have caught the bull trout we have today that say: “Now we know why you are doing what you are doing. These bull trout are amazing to catch.”
Time has brought changes to the system, some good and some bad. Dams were built, non-native species were introduced, some flourished and then disappeared and some were here to stay, but the fishery of Flathead Lake was soon no longer a native Montana trout fishery. The non-native lake trout had taken control and are now the dominant fish. Mack Days events are used to reduce the numbers of the non-native lake trout in the lake.