A Historic Finish for Spring Mack Days 2026!

The scales have settled, the boats are docked, and the numbers are officially in! The final weekend of the 2026 Spring Mack Days wrapped up on Saturday, May 9th, putting an exclamation point on a season defined by some seriously impressive hauls.

With a final push of 2,030 lake trout over the ninth weekend, the event reached a staggering grand total of 37,975 entries. This incredible effort marks the 2026 season as the fourth-best Spring Event in history—a testament to the unwavering dedication of our angling community.

Sponsored by the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, this event is about more than just the catch; it’s about the spirit of conservation and the thrill of the chase.

The Leaderboard Legends

Taking the top spot for an incredible sixth time, Kalispell’s own Kolton Turner dominated the field with 2,030 entries and a jaw-dropping 18-day average of 94.22. The competition was fierce right down to the final cast:

Rank	Angler	Entries	18-Day Avg
1st	Kolton Turner (Kalispell)	2,030	94.22
2nd	Bob Turner (Kalispell)	1,798	85.61
3rd	Patrick Casey (Townsend)	1,369	71.00

Category Highlights

• Ladies Champion: Shaunda Albert of Pablo surged into 1st place to finish with 620 entries.
• Youth Stars: Mason Persico took the 12 & Under title (229), while Wyatt Best led the 13-17 group.
• Senior Standouts: In the Over 70 category, Marty Herak claimed the top spot with 524.
• The Big & The Small: While Patrick Casey swept the “Small Fish” awards (160mm & 168mm), Richard Kreis took home the bragging rights for the largest lunker—a massive 42-inch lake trout released alive!

Here is the full report by CSKT:

2026 Spring Mack Days-week 9 final

2026 Spring Mack Days final weekend ended on Saturday May 9^th with a total of 37,975 lake trout entries. Weekend nine total came to 2,030. This event came in fourth in the Spring Events. It was a success due to the effort and hard work of all of the anglers. Thank you everyone.

Mack Days are sponsored by the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. 

Kolton Turner of Kalispell added win number six to his total of 1^st place finishes in the Spring Events. He ended with 2,030 entries and a 94.22 18-day average. 2^nd place went to Bob Turner of Kalispell with 1,798 and 85.61 average, 3^rd Patrick Casey of Townsend 1,369 and 71.0, 4^th Jerry Benson of Plains 1,415 and 65.22, 5^th Devon Bukowski of Kalispell 1,259 and 62.78, 6^th Larry Ashwell of Missoula 1,272 and 62.72, 7^th Terry Krogstad of Kalispell 1,061 and 58.94, 8^th Mike Benson of Lonepine 1,179 and 58.17, 9^th place Larry Karper of Florence 1,001 and 54.94, and 10^th place Jack Kirkland of Lolo with 1,072 and 53.83. Julie Perkins came in with 940 and 52.22, 12^th David Kelch of Great Falls 997 and 50.72, 13^th Clint Speer of Kalispell 1,041 and 49.56, 14^th Steven Andrachick of Kalispell 902 and 47.94, 15^th Gene Corne of Kalispell 809 and 42.89, 16^th Ken Varga of Kalispell 702 and 38.67, 17^th Brodie Smith of Kalispell 675 and 37.5, 18^th Tristan Persico of Missoula 656 and 36.44, 19^th Michael Stevenson of Kalispell 647 and 65.61, and 20^th Britton Salois of Ronan with 569 and 31.5. 

Shaunda Albert of Pablo moved into 1^st in the Ladies category with 620. Angie Morrow of Kalispell was 2^nd with 369 and Laurie Kreis of Huson 3^rd with 101.

Mason Persico was 1^st in the 12 & under with 229, Lincoln Gauci of Florence 2^nd with 91, and Carter Lindsay of Pablo 3^rd with 41. Wyatt Best of Florence came in 1^st with 18 in the 13-17 group, Ellis Stammers of Charlo 2^nd with 6, and Charles Hodgenson of Polson 3^rd with 2.

Over 70 winners were Marty Herak of Polson with 524 and Richard Kreis of Huson 2^nd with 504. 

Patrick Casey won both of the small fish awards with lake trout that measured 160mm and 168mm.

Large lake trout winners-had to be over 36”-picture with measurement-and released alive-went to Will Larson of Missoula 38”, Scott Hale of Lolo 39”, Matt Brazda of Missoula 36.25”, Jack Kirkland of Lolo with two 36.25 and 38”, Bob Stewart of Kalispell 36.5, Tristan Persico of Missoula with two winners 36.5, and 36.75, Richard Kreis of Huson 42”.

Spirit of the Event winners-custom fillet knives made by Bob Crowder of Thompson Falls-David Kelch of Great Falls and Tristan Persico. 

Fall Mack Days will begin September 10^th and will end on November 8^th.  To see a list of winners and awards along with fall updates go to the website www.mackdays.com-the stats page will have the list of winners. 

Tight lines and thank you everyone! Have a great summer.