Fall Mack Days begins this week

The Fall Mack Days fishing contest on Flathead Lake begins Saturday, Sept. 20. The fall competition includes eight weeks of lake trout fishing, with up to $150,000 in cash and prizes available for anglers, sponsored by the Confederation Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The event will end on November 10.

Mack Days Fishing Events are used as a fisheries management tool to reduce non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake and increase the native bull trout and westslope trout. Preserving the native fish is important to the history of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The native fish of the lake were the dominant fish of the lake for thousands of years before the non-native lake trout were introduced and their population exploded.

Anglers asked for the opportunity to be part of the management of the fishery of Flathead Lake. Using the events as a tool gives them the opportunity to help make this a success story and see the native fish numbers increase for future generations. Participation by anglers is very important to that success and the continuation of the events.

There are several ways to win prizes in the event, including tagged lake trout with values from $100 up to $10,000. Prizes are awarded in categories for ladies, youth 12 & under, youth 13-17, golden oldies (age 70 & over), lottery drawings and the popular Top 10 category. Each lake trout entered gives anglers an entry in the lottery drawing.

Headquarters for the event will be at Blue Bay. Lake trout can be turned in from 9 a.m. until dark or 9 p.m., whichever comes first. Fish pickups will be at Big Arm State Boat Ramp 4-4:30 p.m., Salish Point 5-5:30 p.m., Somers State Boat Ramp 4-4:30 p.m. and Wayfarer State Boat Ramp 5-5:30 p.m.

More information is available at mackdays.com, or call (406) 270-3386 or (406) 675-2700 ex. 7294.