Mack Days competition heats up
Mack Days anglers have turned in a total of 2,763 lake trout entries in the first six days of the fall fishing event. The total is 366 short of last year’s six-day total of 3,129.
The unseasonably warm water seems to be keeping the lake trout in the deeper depths, especially during the warm afternoons. Fishing reports are that the early morning and late evening is when most numbers of lake trout are being caught. Anglers are finding high numbers of fish but report the bite is very light and fish are moving around a lot.
Jigging is the most popular fishing method but trolling is picking up. Lake trout spawn in the fall and they will move into the shallower depths as the days get cooler.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes sponsor Mack Days, which is used as a tool to slowly reduce numbers of non-native lake trout. Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks sanction the event. Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event and there is no entry fee.
Mack Days continues until Nov. 11 and fish on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays except the last 10 days from Nov. 2-11, which will be 10 straight days of fishing. Up to $125,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the anglers — all it takes is one fish to be entered.
Once an angler has 15 days of entries, their tickets are limited to their best 15 days and to receive more tickets they are required to turn in more than their lowest number of the 15 days.
Top anglers prizes are also awarded on their best 15-day average out of 28 days of fishing. Lottery prizes begin at $1,000 and go down to $200. Youth anglers have a special category along with the ladies, captains, weekend, and more. Go to www.mackdays.com for complete information on prizes, fishing tips, recipes, bull trout identification, maps, and other information.
Tagged lake trout continue to be turned in with $100 going to Dan C. Smith of Columbia Falls, Tim Mooney of Missoula, Phil Meredith of Kalispell, Max Martz of Corvallis, Steve Benson of Four Lakes, Wash., Alfred DeRoche of Stevensville, Felix Gauci of Stevensville, and Paul Soukup of Ronan. Don Beville of Lakeside caught two $100 fish.
Anglers with $200 tags were David McDaniel of Polson, Phil Meredith of Kalispell, and Jacob Thurman of Polson. There are over 3,800-tagged lake trout with values from $100-10,000.
Lonepine angler Mike Benson took the lead with daily totals of 52, 39, and 65 for a six-day total of 260 lake trout entries. Scott Bombard of Missoula is in second place with a total of 206 and daily totals of 41, 42, and 40. Max Martz of Stevensville is in third with 188 and daily totals of 40, 15 and 17.
Steven Benson of Four Lakes, Wash. is fourth with 44, 26 and 48. Don Beville of Lakeside is fifth with 147 and daily totals of 50, 34 and 34. Phil Meredith of Kalispell is sixth with 106, Chad Cottet of Polson is seventh with 104, Craig Morigeau of Polson is eighth with 100, Larry Karper of Florence is in ninth place, and Jason Kowalski of Florence is in 10th place with 87.
Ladies leader is Kim McMillie of Ronan with 30, second is Sharon Beville of Lakeside with 27, third is Susan Martin of Polson with 17, fourth is Kathryn Cox of Lakeside with 14, and fifth is Susanne Albrecht of Polson with 12.
Polson youth angler Eric Sams leads the 13-17 age group and Carson McDaniel leads the 12-and-under category with two.
The new competition this year for heaviest bucket of fish kicked off on last Friday and continues on Oct. 20 and Nov. 4. The bucket of fish must come from one boat but may be more than one angler. Top daily winner receives $200 and three overall winners will receive $500, $400, and $300.
First day leaders are Roger Schiff and Kirby Adams of Kalispell with a bucket of four lake trout weighing in at 19 pounds, 15 ounces, for 10 points and $200. Second place is Phil Meredith and Nick Fister Kalispell with 19 pounds for 8 points, third is John and Felix Gauci of Stevensville with 18 pounds, 10 ounces for 6 points, fourth is Max Martz of Stevensville with 17 pounds, 11 ounces, for 4 points, and fifth is Dan Smith of Columbia Falls, Jim Hoover of Whitefish, and Ralph Johnson of Columbia Falls with 16 pounds, 10 ounces.
Anglers can catch and turn in up to 100 lake trout under 30” per day or 99 under 30” and one over 36”. Lake trout between 30-36” are considered the “slot” and are to be returned to the lake. This high daily limit makes it easy for the lead to quickly change back and forth. Totals for all anglers can be viewed on the website.