2008 Fall Mack Days final weekend was a hit

Bernd Albrecht of Polson fished many hours and days during Fall Mack Days. He even went out one day in a raft when his boat was being repaired. (Courtesy photo)

POLSON — 2008 Fall Mack Days ended with a total of 10,101 lake trout entered in the 21 day event by 473 anglers. Mack Days are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The event is a management tool being used by fisheries managers to slowly reduce the number of non-native lake trout and increase the numbers of native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Bringing a balance to the fishery of the lake is a goal of the Flathead Lake Co-Management Plan agreed to by the tribes and FWP.

Using a 12-day average for top angler prizes gives anglers the choice of fishing more than 12 days to try and improve their average or they can use fewer days to qualify for the coveted top 5 placing. Top honors went to Paul Lebert of Kalispell with a total of 686 fish entered and a 12/day average of 41.5-$500. Hot Springs angler Mike Benson came in second with an average of 39.25 and a total of 672 entries-$400. Brandt Hammernick of Missoula had an average of 38.6 and a total of 509 lake trout entered-$300. Youth angler Stephen Naethe of Pablo ended Mack Days in fourth place with 659 entries and a 36.16 12/day average-$200. Fifth place angler is Don Peters of Florence/Polson with 469 entries and a 33.41 averag-$100e.

Top lady angler Nicole Peters of Florence/Polson ended the event with 305 lake trout entries-$300. Stephanie Lebert of Kalispell followed with 169 entries-$200 and Jeanne Cochran of Polson won $100 in the ladies category.

Smallest lake trout entry winner-$250 was Polson angler Charles Blem with a 154mm lake trout entry. Stephen Naethe of Pablo was also a $250 winner with a 195mm entry.

There was no large lake trout category winner. The largest lake trout winner has to qualify by being over 36” and 24 lbs.

First place in the youth category went to Stephen Naethe-$200, Keegan Noyd of Missoula came in second-$100 with 117 entries. Added prizes of $50 each went to Mikayla Lebert-Kalispell youth angler-with 92 entries, Dalton Meredith of Kalispell with 81 entries, and Garett Vaughn-Charlo-40 entries.

Charles and LeAnn Blem of Polson entered the smallest lake trout during Fall Mack Days. This fish measured a little over 6 inches. (courtesy photo)

The 50/Day Drawing-each day an angler brought in 50 lake trout they were entered-went to Paul Lebert-Kalispell-$100.

Captains Prizes-$250 each went to Don Peters-Florence/Polson, Conn Hodgson-Kalispell, and Mel Clendenen-Polson. Each time a boat angler brings in entries they qualify for this category plus every angler on the boat who enters fish can enter the captain of the boat for the drawings.

The last day of the event was a separate day with a $300 lottery prize going to Nicole Peters-Florence/Polson, $200-Dolly Fleck of Bigfork, and the heaviest fish under 30” prize went to Travis Peters-Missoula-$200.

Thirty drawing prizes totaling $11,200 were given out to lucky anglers at the end of the awards. John Steward of St. Ignatius and Bill Konie of Missoula were the top winners in the cash drawing. Each time an angler entered a fish they are given a ticket that enters them in the drawing. Drawing prizes started at $1,000 and continued down to $100.

Bonus points are built up by anglers during the event according to their total at the end of the event. Each angler registering 20 or more lake trout wins a set amount and they will receive over $10,000 in the bonus payout category.

Thank you to anglers who make these events a success. Numbers of lake trout entries were down from 2007 Fall Mack Days due to the windy and rainy weather conditions encountered during several days of the event. With over 10,000 as a total for the 2008 Fall Event we feel the event was a success but managers would like to increase total numbers from the events to reach a goal that they feel will begin to slowly bring a balance to the lake fishery. Mangers will continue developing new ways to increase the number of anglers involved and who help to make a difference for the future of the native fish in Flathead Lake. If you have a suggestion, please contact us at 883-2888 ex. 7294 or ex. 7282 with your idea or comments.

Several thousand lake trout fillets were delivered to area food banks during the event. Anglers have the choice keeping their lake trout or donating them to the event. Fish are processed by several tribal employees and placed into freezers for delivery. Thank you to our staff for their help processing the fillets.

For information check out the website at www.mackdays.com.

See you in the spring during 2009 Spring Mack Days!!