Mack Days fishing tourney begins Sept. 16
Jason Mahlen is silhouetted against the sky as he catches a lake trout in the predawn hours during a past Fall Mack Days fishing tournament on Flathead Lake. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' 38th annual Fall Mack Days fishing tournament will run from Sept. 16 to Nov. 14.
The event is used as a management tool to reduce numbers of nonnative lake trout in Flathead Lake.
"Increasing the numbers of native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout is important to the ecology of Flathead Lake, the culture of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and the objectives of the state of Montana in the Flathead Basin," Stephanie Gillin, the information and education program manager for the tribes' Natural Resource Department, said in a statement. "We have a responsibility to future generations to help these native fish in Flathead Lake increase to sustainable levels."
Up to $200,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the nine-week event. Just one lake trout entry qualifies an angler for a prize. Anglers can fish all 60 days of the tournament, or fewer if they prefer.
Gillin said all anglers are welcome to participate: "Come out and test your skills reeling in lake trout and maybe you will have a winning tagged fish or a winning lottery entry fish on the end of your fishing line."
A tagged lake trout worth $10,000 will be released before the contest and will be waiting for just the right lure to entice it to bite. There also will be three $5,000 and five $1,000 tagged fish and more than 9,000 lake trout with values from $100 to $500.
Gillin said Bretz RV and Marine will sponsor an additional tagged lake trout with a $1,000 gift value at the business in Missoula, as well as a $500 cash prize for the angler who reels in the largest lake trout of the competition.
Other prize categories include the top 20 anglers; ladies; the 70-and-older age group; youth ages 13 to 17; youth ages 12 and younger; heaviest lake trout over 36 inches and over 20 pounds; and smallest lake trout.
Additionally there will be lottery drawings Friday through Sunday, weekend awards, Siberian cooler drawings, cash drawings Monday through Thursday, plus bonus money depending on an angler's total catch at the conclusion of the event. Every angler who enters 11 or more lake trout begins to earn bonus amounts.
Anglers who participate in Mack Days must follow all boating rules and state and tribal fishing regulations. They also should know how to properly identify fish and distinguish between lake trout and bull trout, which are threatened. Smaller trout are sometimes hard to distinguish from bull trout. An angler in doubt about the identity of a fish should put it back in the lake.
More information can be found at mackdays.com, at 406-270-3386, or at 406-675-2700, ext. 7294.