Fall Mack Days: Anglers bring in over 4,000 lake trout

Fall Mack Days anglers enjoyed the second good fishing weekend of the event on Flathead Lake. Swirling winds on Thursday were mixing it up on the water keeping some anglers off the lake, but the weekend fishing weather settled down and was good.

Mack Days fishing events are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and are used as one of their management tools to reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake. Bull trout and westslope cutthroat were the dominate fish of the lake for thousands of years until the lake trout population exploded in 1960s.

Local tribal and non-tribal residents depended on the native fish as a healthy food source. Bull trout spawn in the Flathead River system – some making their way up past the Canadian border. They may spend their lives in the rivers or many of them come down into Flathead Lake. They are important to the history of the lake, and Mack Days is a management tool to help increase their numbers.

Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event, and there is no entry fee.

Up to $200,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the event on Nov. 12. Dollars from drawings, bonuses, and tagged fish help anglers pay for the cost of going out to fish and help in this conservation effort.

Categories include Ladies, Youth 12 and Under, 13-17, 70 and Over, Top Ten Anglers, Top Twenty Anglers, Smallest Lake Trout and Largest Lake Trout. Lottery drawings begin at $100 and go up to $2,000.

The $10,000 tagged lake trout “Ghost” is still lurking in the murky depths of Flathead Lake. There are also three fish worth $5,000, six worth $1,000 and more than 9,000 with values from $100-$500 swimming throughout the lake.

Among those who turning in $100 tagged lake trout are 8-year-old Paisley Helvey of Thompson Falls, who had a total of five lake trout entries; Kim Mack of Helena; Felix Gauci of Stevensville; Carey Hauser of Lakeside, and Mike Benson of Lonepine.

From Monday to Thursday last week, fishing totals come to 722. On Friday, Sept. 22, the fish total was 678 with Dave Myers of Riverton, Wyo., turning in a total of 96 for the high count.

Saturday’s total was 618 with Myers again tallying the largest number with 55. Sunday’s high count went to Felix Gauci of Stevensville with 75.

Total for the second weekend was 1,847 and total count for the first two weekends is 3,357. Final count for all days is at 4,079.

Top 10 Anglers: first, Dave Myers with 367; second, Felix Gauci, 360; third, Mike Benson of Lonepine, 295; fourth, Bob Stewart of Kalispell, 284; fifth, Larry Ashwell of Missoula, 201; sixth, Jack Kirkland of Lolo, 200; seventh, Scott Bombard of Missoula, 155; eighth, Larry Karper of Florence, 153; ninth, Richard Kreis of Huson, 135; and tenth, Steve Mack of Helena with 131.

12 and Under: Paisley Helvey of Thompson Falls is in first with 13 and Blaine Helvey of Thompson Fall is in second with 12. Bear Yarrow, Holden Griffin, and Ace Whimper of Clinton each have one entry.

Ladies: Laurie Kreis of Huson is in the lead with 105; second is Kim Mack of Helena with 58; and third is Debby Sacchi of Thompson Falls with 46.

Paul Grove of Wyoming, Ill., turned in a 141mm (5.5 inch) fish to take the lead in the smallest lake trout category. He reported the small laker was in 182 feet of water. Laurie Kreis is in second with a 184mm (7.25 inch) laker. Juveniles like the depths of the lake to evade the larger voracious lake trout. This is a popular category for the anglers fishing Friday to Sunday only.

Jerry Benson had some bad luck Sunday unloading his cooler at the marina dock. Someone had taken one of his tie-down ropes so he couldn’t stabilize the boat. He was lifting his cooler up to the dock when the boat swung out and all of his fish went back into the lake.

He was grabbing fish out of the water while leaning out from the dock and using his pole to reach some of them that were too far away to grab. Luckily, he was able to get all but three of them back into his cooler. It’s not what you want to happen at the end of a long day, but he said he felt lucky he was able to get most of them back in the cooler.

There is still no large lake trout entry in the event. The largest lake trout has to be over 36 inches and weigh in over 20 pounds, and must be caught Friday to Sunday. The biggest one nets a $500 large lake trout prize.

The first of the Bucket of Fish Days is Friday, Sept. 29. Anglers put their four largest lake trout in a bucket and a weight is taken; the heaviest bucket wins $200. Contests are also held Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 5.

Jigging is the most popular method of fishing at this time. Trolling and casting are also used. Catch the podcast on the Montana Outdoor Radio show done by anglers Scott Bombard and Mike Benson with Downrigger Dale at montanaoutdoorpodcast.buzzsprout.com.

To enter this year’s event, head to www.mackdays.com or contact Cindy Benson at 406-270-3386 or cindy.benson@cskt.org.