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POLSON - It's time to empty Flathead Lake of a few thousand more lake trout.

Fall Mack Days starts Friday and runs through Nov. 16.

While familiar names will likely catch hundreds of fish while chasing the $1,000 first-place prize in the fishing tournament, organizers note that a single fish could win a lucky angler as much as $5,000.

Sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Fall Mack Days is designed to restore a balance to the big lake's fishery by reducing the number of non-native and predacious lake trout, also known as mackinaw.

Lake trout have virtually eliminated other species, and now threaten the bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout that are native to Flathead.

Fall Mack Days will feature more than $45,000 in lottery and bonus prizes, with many ways to earn or win money.

The seven weekend-long affair - the tournament runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - will reward any fisherman who catches at least 20 lake trout.

Twenty to 30 fish will be worth $25, and the money increases incrementally from there. Between 31 and 60 fish will net $45, for instance, while 851 to 900 is worth $962.

Last year's first-place finisher, Mike Benson, caught 847 macks. In addition to being paid for the number of fish they catch, the top 30 anglers will also receive prize money - $1,000 for first, $900 for second, on down to $100 for those who finish between 25th and 30th place.

Places are determined by totaling an angler's 12 best days out of the 20 available (the 21st and last day of the event will be a separate day with separate prizes, to help organizers complete their bookkeeping chores. It ends with a fish fry and awards ceremony at Blue Bay).

Participants will also be checking for tagged fish worth anywhere from $100 to $5,000. There are 750 tagged fish out there - among, of course, the hundreds of thousands of lake trout in Flathead.

There are also categories and prize money for women, youth, largest (must be over 24 pounds and 36 inches) and smallest lake trout caught, among others. A full list of prizes and rules can be found at www.mackdays.com.

Last fall hundreds of anglers harvested more than 14,000 lake trout during Fall Mack Days. A similar event is held each spring.

 

On the hook

Fall Mack Days on Flathead Lake starts Oct. 3 and runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 16. Register online at www.mackdays.com, or call 883-2888, extensions 7294 or 7282.

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