Fall Mack Days nears halfway mark

Mack Days anglers on Flathead Lake are getting to the halfway mark in the fall event sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

At week four, anglers have hauled in 9,575 lake trout compared to 8,780 at this point last year.

The lake trout are moving into spawning mode and some anglers are finding them in the shallower waters while trolling or casting. Other anglers are still targeting the deep-water areas and jigging for the elusive smaller fish.

There are reports of thousands of small yellow perch in some areas that the lakers are feeding on. The warm temperatures are making for good days on the water but the mornings are starting to cool and that may change the way the fish are biting. Talk to local bait shop or tackle dealers to find out what types of jigs or lures are working the best for catching and getting a lake trout on the end of the line.

From Monday through Thursday, all fish are to be entered at Blue Bay before 6 p.m. and until a half hour before dark Friday-Sunday. There are also fish pickups available on the weekends at Big Arm State boat ramp, Salish Point boat ramp, Somers State boat ramp, and Wayfarers State boat ramp in Bigfork. Times are listed at www.mackdays.com, along with fishing tips, safety tips, events stats, fish ID, and entry forms. Anglers can keep their catch or donate it to be processed by tribal staff.

Dan Deutschman of Fergus Falls, Minn. (formerly of Missoula) still has the largest lake trout entry, measuring 40.25 inches and weighing 28.65 lbs. He was surprised when he saw that the lake trout was hooked on the fly instead of the jig when he finally got the big laker in the boat.

He and fishing buddy Larry Ashwell of Missoula were shocked that it stayed hooked to the fly. It was hooked right where the thick part of the pelvic fin attaches to the body and it took some effort to remove it. 

Anglers are reminded to have hand scales on their boat to weigh any large fish so they know if it might be a contender to unseat Dan’s lake trout. Most Mack Days anglers don’t want large fish on the line. The large fish cost them time to release them correctly since large fish usually swallow air that puffs them up. Getting them to burp and go back down can be difficult, plus they can cause tangled lines.

Bonus dollars in the event are paid as the angler’s totals go up. Catching smaller lake trout usually brings in more fish per day and higher bonus totals, plus cooler space is not taken up by larger fish.

Smallest lake trout entries so far are Ryker Bair’s 124mm small lake trout (5”) and Larry Karper’s 130mm (5.25”) lake trout.

Terry Krogstad of Kalispell has pulled ahead of David Myers of Riverton, Wyo., by 20 entries in the Top Angler category. Terry has a total of 619 and David is at 599. Larry Ashwell of Missoula is in third with 535, followed by Julie Perkins of Kalispell with 516, and Devon Bukowski of Kalispell with 403.

Carter Lindsay of Pablo has turned in eight lake trout entries to lead the 12 & Under category and Olivia Cottet has five in the 13-17 category.

Julie Perkins is first in the Ladies category with 516; she’s followed by Janet Myers with 217, Laurie Kreis with 164, Angie Morrow with 138, and Shaunda Albert of Ronan with 42.

Weekend winners were Devon Bukowski with $200 and Terry Krogstad, Justin Bair, Larry Ashwell and Steve Mack with $100 each.

There are several ways to win including lottery prizes ($2,000 to $500), bonus dollars which go up as your total of fish goes up), and tagged lake trout (including Double D, worth $10,000), plus several other categories. It is not too late to enter and get involved in this fish conservation effort to reduce non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake.

We remind everyone to be alert to changes in the weather and have safety equipment on board.