Spring Mack Days begins March 16

The 2023 Spring Mack Days Fishing Event on Flathead Lake, sponsored by the Confederated

Salish and Kootenai Tribes, begins March 16 and runs through May 13. Up to $225,000 in Cash and Prizes awarded to the well deserving anglers. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes offer a special Flathead Lake fishing stamp for the south half of the lake.

Mack Day anglers help reduce the non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake. Anglers spend many hours on the water to help increase the native bull trout and westslope cutthroat populations that once dominated the lake and were an important part of the fishing history of native people and all Montanans. Lake trout abundance exploded in Flathead Lake in the 1980’s after mysis shrimp arrived there. Lake trout are predators that drove native fish numbers to very low levels. The Mack Day Fishing Events are a critical tool for reducing lake trout abundance. Future generations will thank today’s anglers for making a difference in conserving native fish!

Anglers are dreaming of catching the $10,000 tagged fish, one of the three $5,000 fish, or one of the five $1,000 tagged lake trout. There is an additional $1,000 tagged lake trout sponsored by Bretz RV and Marine in Missoula. There are also over 9,000 lake trout in Flathead Lake with $100-$500 tags. These tags are not visible, they are scanned and read when entered as the catch is counted at the end of the day by the CSKT Fisheries staff.

All anglers catching 11 or more lake trout receive bonus dollars. The higher their catch the higher the bonus dollars. For example: 11-30 lake trout entries $45, 31-50 entries $88, 51-75 entries $150, 76-100 entries $205, 205-225 entries $518, 301-325 entries $813 on up. No pooling of fish between anglers is allowed. Lake trout must be entered the same day they are caught.

All fish must be in by 3 p.m. on the last day after which a ceremony will be held for the Top

20 Anglers, Ladies, Youth, and 70 & Over winners. Lottery Drawings will be posted. Visit the entry page on the Mack Days website under the events tab, call (406) 270-3386, or email [email protected] with your name, mailing address, telephone number, and age.