Fall Mack Days competitors have fun on the water

Ole timer Jim Hoover was rubbing a sore spot on the top of his head Sunday after a lure popped loose from a hefty lake trout, during the fall Mack Days Fishing event. The lure flew up and past his partner landing on Jims head knocking off his hat in the process. Richard not knowing Jim was hit started laughing and was only worried about getting the net out to reach the hat in the lake. Richard said later that he felt bad for laughing when he saw the lump on Hoover’s head. They were both laughing when they checked in their catch.

Terry Krogstad of Kalispell is still leading the event with a total of 873 lake trout entries and a fifteen day average of 58.2. Terry is the only angler with a fifteen day average. The top ten anglers are placed by their best fifteen days fished at the end of the event.  Mike Benson of Lonepine is in second place with 738 entries. Felix Gauci of Stevensville is third with 658. Benson and Gauci each have thirteen days. Bob Stewart of Kalispell is 4th with 452, Phil Meredith of Kalispell is 5th with 426, Richard Kreis of Huson-6th with 377, 7th-Larry Karper of Florence-346, Scott Bombard of Missoula-8th-310, Bob Christensen of Missoula 9th-284, and John Gauci of Florence-10th with 271. Laurie Kries of Huson continues to increase her total. Laurie is in first in the Ladies Category with 204, 2nd-Jeanee Mooney of Missoula-91, 3rd-Julie Vacca of Florence with 77, 4th-Debbie Pike-Polson-69, and 5th-Brandy Hilde of Missoula with 65.

Youth lady angler Ellyana Tripp of Missoula is leading the 12 and Under Group with 28, 2nd-Tyler Throop-Missoula-2, and 3rd-Makenna Garrett of Missoula with 2. Ayden Tripp is leading the 13-17 Category with 18, Garrett Beville of Bigfork is second with 8, Myles Tripp-3rd with 8, Tyler Varga of Kalispell-6, and Garett Vaughan of Charlo-2. 

Ralph Johnson spoke up a few years ago and asked if there could be a category for the 70 and Older anglers. Thinking it was a good idea it was included in the contest. Larry Karper of Florence continues the lead in the 70 and older category with 346, 2nd Glenn Hoffman of Missoula-164, 3rd-Jim Hoover-Whitefish-155, 4th-Leonard Lewis-Missoula-111, and 5th Richard Hembd-Columbia Falls-82. 

One hundred tagged lake trout have been turned in during the first five weeks. Bob Christensen had a $100 and a $200 tagged lake trout on Friday. George Thompson of Missoula was very lucky on Saturday. George turned in fourteen lake trout with two of them being tagged. One tag was worth $500 and the other $100. Several anglers had $100 tagged fish.

2015 Fall Mack Days Fishing Event is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and is a fisheries management tool used to reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake. For more information goto www.mackdays.com. Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event.