Anglers, get your gear ready. The 2026 Fall Mack Days fishing event is officially returning to Flathead Lake from Thursday, September 10 to Sunday, November 8.
Sponsored by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, this annual conservation-focused tournament offers massive cash prizes, bonus payouts, and lottery drawings—all aimed at managing the lake trout population to help protect native fish species.
Whether you plan to spend a single afternoon on the water or fish all 59 days, every lake trout under 30 inches you turn in earns you an entry into the drawings and puts you closer to a substantial cash reward.
The Big Ticket: $10,000 Tagged Fish & Massive Cash Prizes
This fall’s prize pool features serious cash incentives:
- Tagged Lake Trout: Over 9,000 tagged lake trout will be swimming in Flathead Lake worth anywhere from $100 to $500, alongside major tagged fish valued at $1,000 (5 available), $5,000 (3 available), and a grand prize tagged trout worth $10,000!
- Tiered Bonus Payouts: The more fish you turn in, the higher your bonus tier. Bonuses kick in starting at 11 lake trout:
- 11–30 entries: $45
- 31–50 entries: $88
- 51–75 entries: $150
- 76–100 entries: $205
- 205–225 entries: $518
- 301–325 entries: $813 (and increasing from there!)
Note: No pooling of fish is allowed. All lake trout must be entered on the exact day they are caught. Check the full bonus chart at www.mackdays.com.
Schedule & Daily Competition Breakdown
1. Monday – Thursday Fishing (33 Days)
- Turn-in Location: Blue Bay only (11:00 AM until 30 minutes before sunset).
- Lottery Drawings: Includes drawings for 3–$100, 3–$200, and 4–$250 prizes, plus bonus dollars.
- Bonus Tracking: Weekday entries are added to your Friday–Sunday totals at the end of the event to calculate your final bonus bracket.
2. Friday – Sunday Competitive Days (Ends Saturday, Nov 7)
- Top 20 Angler Competition: Best 18 days scored out of 26 possible weekend days. Payouts range from $950 down to $200.
- Turn-in Locations: Blue Bay (11:00 AM to 30 minutes before sunset) or designated pickup sites listed on the website.
- Special Categories:
- Top Lady Anglers: $300, $200, $100 (by total fish entered)
- Golden Anglers (70+): $300, $200, $100 (by total fish entered)
- Youth Anglers (13–17): 1st ($200), 2nd ($150), 3rd ($75)
- Youth Anglers (12 & under): 1st ($100 x 2), 2nd ($75 x 3), 3rd ($50)
- Largest Lake Trout (2 prizes): $500 each
- Smallest Lake Trout: $250
- Weekend Prizes: Four $100 and $200 prizes per weekend across 9 weekends.
- Lottery Drawings: Ranging from $600 to $2,000 (all weekend lottery drawings end Saturday, Nov 7).
3. Finale: Sunday, November 8 (Standalone Day)
- Turn-in Deadline: All entries must be turned in at Blue Bay by 3:00 PM.
- Daily Cash Drawings: $400, $350, and $300.
- Daily Category Prizes:
- Largest Lake Trout (under 30″): 1st Place ($100), 2nd Place ($75)
- Smallest Lake Trout: $200
- Top Angler overall (by Nov 8 total): $300
- Awards Ceremony: Prize/lottery drawings will be conducted Sunday morning and posted ahead of the 3:00 PM Awards Ceremony at Blue Bay.
Registration & Entry Details
Participation in Fall Mack Days is 100% free!
- To Register via Email: Send your full name, mailing address, telephone number, gender (M/F), and age to
joe.santos@cskt.org. - Paper Applications: Pick up physical forms at any of the following locations:
- Kalispell: Sportsman & Ski Haus, Snappy’s Sport Senter, FWP Office
- Missoula: Bob Ward & Sons, Sportsman’s Warehouse, FWP Office
- Polson: Walmart, CSKT NRD Offices
- Pablo: Zimmer’s Tackle
- Ronan: Westland Seed
For official rules, check-in locations, updated time schedules, and complete bonus charts, visit www.mackdays.com or call (406) 675-2700 Ext. 7290 / (406) 274-0613.
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