2014 Spring Mack Days Angler Information
By angelamontana

Posted: January 8, 2014

$150,000 in Cash and Prizes– varies depending on harvest 1-$10,000, 2-$5,000, & 5-$1,000 Tagged Lake Trout Over 5,000-$100-$500 tagged lake trout-number will continue to increase

March 14th-May 18th-Fridays-Saturdays-& Sundays

May 9-May 18 will be 10 straight days 34 days of lake trout fishing on Flathead Lake.

Mack Days Angler Information (from Cynthia Bras-Benson):

Happy New Year Everyone!

2014 Spring Mack Days will begin March 14th. We are looking forward to a great Spring Event. Go to the www.mackdays.com website for more information-fishing tips, entry forms-under events tab, videos, boat safety, weather information, fish ID, updates, etc. as the starting date gets closer.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes sponsor the $150,000 Event on Flathead Lake and use it as a tool to slowly reduce the non-native lake trout in the lake. Increasing the diminished populations of native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout is important to the tribes and Montana. Lake trout populations have spread into other rivers and lakes and are impacting Glacier Park waters. Bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout once were the dominant fish of Flathead Lake and are a part of the fishing heritage of the area.

All it takes is one fish to win and there are several ways to win. Lottery tickets-one for each lake trout under 30”-fish from a boat or shore-check the website for pick-up sites, top ten angler prizes-based on their best 18 day average out of 33 days-last day is separate but does count for bonus amount, ladies and youth categories, 70 & Over, largest fish over 24lbs, smallest fish, Bucket of Fish Days-3 specified days, weekend drawings, bonus amounts-go up as your total goes up, and tagged fish from $100-$10,000 plus many merchandise prizes.

No pooling of fish is allowed, meaning all participants must report only the fish they catch themselves. We welcome all forms of angler-assistance during the contest, but make exceptions for those anglers vying for any of the top prize categories. Specifically for the “top anglers”, the intent is that the contest be an individual competition rather than a team competition. We cannot police this highly competitive category adequately and must rely on those anglers to respect the principle of fair competition. The rewards in this category are intended to be more personal than monetary and therefore depend on the integrity of the competitors. Anglers may receive assistance from other anglers in the boat but need to respect the competitive nature of the contest, by clearly identifying their rods from those of other anglers present in the boat and being the only angler handling those rods. All anglers in a boat, entered in the contest, must have at least one fishing rod in the water and be responsible for the fish caught on that rod.

SPIRIT OF THE RULE: It is the intention of this event to promote good sportsmanship and fair play. Anglers are asked to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, the sport of fishing and help sustain a successful Mack Days contest well into the future. Unsportsmanlike conduct and cheating may result in disqualification.

Keep a safe distance away from other boats, watch for anchor lines, and respect the space and needs of anglers for fishing. Anglers cannot exclude other anglers from any area. Trolling boats and jigging boats need to be observant of paths being taken by other boats. – Please be aware of and attempt to avoid anchoring in trolling paths/if a boat is anchored. Be courteous and avoid trolling nearby or approaching too closely.

Interpretation of the rules shall be left exclusively to the event officials/committee; all decisions are final. Complaints are to be in writing and presented to the event official before awards are announced.

Bonuses -Your total at the end of the 34 days determines your bonus. 0-19 lake trout=$0, 20-30=$35, 31-60=$75, 61-100=$125, 101-150=$210, 151-200=$290, 201-250=$380, 251-300=$465, 301-350=$570, 351-400=$675, 401-450=$765, 451-500=$875, 501-550=$995, 551-600=$1,120, 601-650=$1,250, 651-700=$1,420, 701-750=$1,630, 751-800=$1,940, 801-850=$2,270, 851-900=$2,625, 901-950=$3,000, 951-1000=$3,400, 1001-1050=$3,750, 1051-1100=$4.035, 1101-1150=$4,275, 1151-1200=$4,700, 1201-1250=$4,900, 1251-1300=$5,100, 1301-1350=$5,300 & up.

All participants in Montana fishing tournaments are asked to cooperate with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes & Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks by ensuring that all boats be washed prior to launching. Thorough cleaning of any plants or animals prior to launching your boat will help to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species. Report any sightings of an aquatic nuisance species to the National Hotline: 1-877-786-7267. Wash, clean, and dry-our best defense against these invaders.

Again there will be a Heaviest Bucket of Fish competition included for 3 days of the event. Friday-3/28, Saturday-4/12, & Sunday-5/11-prizes will be given for the 4 heaviest fish under 30 inches. The four fish entries are to be tagged or identified with some kind of marking-electrical ties, string, rubber bands- before coming through the door at Blue Bay. Fish will be put in a bucket and one weight per boat taken. No changes will be made to entries-this has to be the rule because of time limits-points given based on weight. Top weight for each of the three days will win $200. Overall prizes based on weight at the end of the three days $300, $200, & $100 will be awarded at the end of the event.

Get your entries in before March 13th to qualify for the Early Bird Drawing of $200.

The website has information about bull trout identification. If you do not know how to identify these fish please go to the website or ask for information. All bull trout turned in during the event will be turned in to the proper authorities.

Contact us if you have comments or suggestions.

FYI-By entering/signing/sending/faxing/e-mailing entry, all participants agree to the following release of liability to forever discharge the event, CSK Tribes, Mt. FW& Parks, Event Committee, & Officials of every claim, demand, action, or right of action, of whatever kind or nature, either in law or in equity, arising from or by any bodily injury or personal injuries, known or unknown, death or property damage resulting or to result from any accident which may occur as a result of participation in the event, whether by negligence or otherwise by ourselves, our heirs, executors, or assignees. This release contains the entire agreement between the parties hereto, and the terms of this release are contractual and not a mere recital. I also understand that photographs may be taken of me and used for promotional purposes without royalties.

See you at the lake-GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

(Written by Cindy Bras-Benson–CSKT Natural Resources Fisheries Program; Photo: mackdays.com)

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