2007 Spring Mack Days

Spring Mack Days are set to begin March 16th and end April 14th. The Mack Days event will again be held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Mack Days is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and is sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Mack Days Fishing Events are designed as a management tool to slowly decrease the non-native lake trout population and restore the balance in the fishery of Flathead Lake by increasing the native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout numbers. Bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout have lived in Flathead Lake for thousands of years, and have dramatically decreased in the past several years.

"Like a family heirloom passed from generation to generation, Montana's native fish are among the treasures that make Montana such a special place. Montana's native fish are Nature's Keepers and it's up to all of us to keep it that way." - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

The event will feature a new 'tagged fish' category with the value of the lucky lake trout being $35,000. Cash and prizes in the event will total over $22,000. The grand total of the tagged fish and cash drawing will be over $57,000. We are very pleased to provide this new and exciting category. As you bring in your lake trout, they will be scanned for an internal tag. These tags are not visible; they are inserted into the muscle of the fish. The winning fish is required to be the first tagged fish turned in and the tag must match the number sent to us in a sealed envelope by the insurance carrier. Any tagged lake trout not winning the large cash prize will receive prizes sponsored by area businesses.

Cash prizes will be given to the top ten anglers with the highest numbers of lake trout entered in the event beginning with 1st-$1,500, 2nd-$1,400, 3rd-$1,300, 4th-$1,200, 5th-$1,100, 6th-$1,000, 7th-$900, 8th-$800, 9th-$700, and 10th-$600. There will be three $500 prizes going to 11th-20th anglers and two $400 prizes to 21st-30th place anglers. There will also be 18-$500 to $100 drawings totaling $4,300 from all lake trout entries in the event. Top ten anglers are limited to winning one other monetary prize excluding the smallest and largest lake trout. . We have a "Ladies Only" prize of a $150 gift certificate. Ladies will qualify by turning in at least 10 lake trout. When sending in your entry you have an opportunity to "Predict the Number" that will be the ending total of lake trout on April 14th. The closest prediction will win $100. (2006 Spring Mack Days total-7,986 lake trout) The 4 weekend drawings will be $500 each. Again the largest live lake trout over 36" will win $500 and the popular smallest lake trout will have (2) $250 prizes.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are also sponsoring a contest for high school art students. $500 in prizes will be awarded to artists who best capture in their artwork the important concepts behind the event. Students are encouraged to address the full range of subjects related to Flathead Lake and its ecology. For example, the art could depict the ecological changes in the lake, the dominance of lake trout as a top predator, the phenomenal beauty of the lake, or focus on the uniqueness of the native bull and westslope cutthroat trout. The medium could be painting, drawing, model or sculpture, photos, or whatever the students develop using their own imaginations. Class projects are also acceptable. Pieces will be judged by a panel, who will consider the technical quality, creativity, and effectiveness at conveying ideas related to biology, ecology, and sense of place. Artwork will be displayed April 14th on Main Street and for a week at the Sandpiper Gallery in Polson.

April 14th will be the last day of the event. A Street Fest on Polson's Main Street will feature outdoor educational booths and learning activities for children. The Polson Business Community will help provide side dishes for the fish fry beginning at 12 p.m. There will be a small fee for non-anglers for the fish fry with the proceeds going to the Main Street and Salish Point projects. The awards will begin at 1 p.m. All lake trout caught on Saturday are to be turned in at Salish Point between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. There will be no entries taken after 12 p.m.

Anglers are reminded that it is illegal to target or harvest bull trout or to harvest westslope cutthroat trout in Flathead Lake. Please be sure to know how to identify these fish. Contact us for information about identification and releasing of these fish.

For more information or to be placed on our mailing list, you can reach us at 883-2888 (Cindy Bras-Benson) ex. 7294 or Barry Hansen ex. 7282; or visit our website at www.mackdays.com. We welcome any comments or suggestions.

Come and be a part of 2007 Spring Mack Days. Enjoy the spectacular scenery of Flathead Lake and the surrounding areas. Remember, all it takes is one fish to win!

See you on the lake!!

Mack Days---Fishing-Family-Friends- Fun!