2025 Spring Mack Days – Week 4 Update

2025 Spring Mack Days sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are used as a tool to reduce the number of non-native lake trout in Flathead Lake in a conservation effort to increase the populations of native bull trout and westslope cutthroat. Native fish were a part of the food source for many people for hundreds of years and are an important part of the history of the Flathead area. For generations bull trout have returned to where they were born. They travel miles upstream to spawn, they are guided by memory to that place. Many will then return to the lake and they will travel again the next fall spawning season to that same place.  It is part of their life-something ancestors before them did for hundreds of years and why it is important to protect these fish. Mack Days are sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.  

Many anglers in 2025 Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake are having great days and big numbers of lake trout entries. A total of 6,286 lake trout were entered over the fourth weekend making it the highest weekend number of lake trout for a weekend since 2017 when 6,138 were turned in over one weekend. Total numbers are 21,885 Friday to Sunday, 5,219 Monday to Thursday and the final number Monday to Sunday was 27,104. 

Warmer spring weather gave the anglers a break this fourth weekend. The previous record amount of lake trout for a Spring Event weekend was in 2019 when 40,362 lake trout were entered.  Spring Mack Days will continue until Saturday May 10^th. Five weeks left and it is not too late to come out get your fishing lines in the water. Go to the website www.mackdays.com for information, entry, fish ID, etc. You can go out and fish all day and enter at the end of the day when turning in your catch. 

An exciting event over the fourth weekend was a $1,000 tagged lake trout being turned in. Michael Stevenson of Kalispell caught the lucky lake trout up on the Delta in the north end of the lake. The tag had been put in the fish on March 4^th by CSKT fisheries staff in Skidoo Bay. Congratulations Michael! 

Willy—the $10,000 tagged lake trout is hiding in the depths of the lake waiting for just the right lure. There are also 3-$5,000, 5-$1,000 and over 9,000 with values from $100-$500. Catching $100 tagged fish the fourth weekend were: Kyle Shank-Kalispell, Shaunda Albert-Ronan, Garett Vaughan-Charlo, and Britton Salois-Pablo. 

Kolton Turner of Kalispell is continuing his 100 fish a day streak for 1^st in the Top Twenty Category. His total at the end of 12 days of the weekend fishing is 1,200. Second place holder is Bob Turner with 1,158 (Fri-100, Sat-86, Sun-72), 3^rd Jason Mahlen of Kalispell with 1,112 (Fri-100, Sat-100, Sun-100), David Myers of Riverton WY is in 4^th with 950 (F-100, S-100, Sun-87), 5^th Clint Speer Kalispell  842 (52,46,& 71), 6^th Jerry Benson of Plains 808 (58,56, & 68), 7^th Patrick Casey of Townsend 691 (98,73, & 66), 8^th Gene Corne of Kalispell with 677 (50,41, & 61), 9^th Steve Andrachick of Kalispell with 644 (90,59, & 66), 10^th place is Mike Benson of Lonepine with 639 (53,45, & 29), 11^th Larry Ludahl of Kalispell with 634, 12^th Terry Krogstad of Kalispell with 560, 13^th Michael Stevenson of Kalispell with 504, 14^th Bryan Long of Kalispell 484, 15^th Jack Kirkland of Lolo 474, 16^th Julie Perkins of Kalispell 443, 17^th Ken Varga of Kalispell 425, 18^th and 19^th Bob Stewart of Kalispell 412 and Brodie Smith of Kalispell 412, and 20^th Larry Ashwell of Missoula 379. 

Lady angler Julie Perkins is in 1^st with 443 lake trout entries, 2^nd Janey Myers of Riverton WY with 238, 3^rd Connie Jones of Kalispell with 126, 4^th Shaunda Albert of Ronan with 106, and 5^th Laurie Bouley of Columbia Falls with 33.

Brodie Smith leads the 13-17 Category with 412, 2^nd Fjord Borgan of Kalispell with 14, David Gerspach of Kila and Sawyer Clark of Columbia Falls are tied for 3^rd with 3 each. Benjamin Dieterich of Kalispell and Carter Lindsay of Pablo are tied for 1^st in the 12 and Under Category with 21 each, 3^rd Mason Cusker of Bigfork 6, 4^th Wyatt Best of Florence 3, and 5^th Allyvia Yang of Missoula with 2. 

Jerry Benson is 1^st in 70 & Over with 808, 2^nd Mike Benson with 639, 3^rd Terry Krogstad 560, 4^th Jack Kirkland 474, and 5^th Larry Ashwell 379. 

Smallest lake trout entries are Mike Colyer Missoula with a 164mm 6.5” lake trout and Korey Heindahl of Kalispell with a 162mm small lake trout.

Matt Brazda of Missoula still holds the largest fish category with a 36.25” 20.5lb lake trout. The largest lake trout is place by the heaviest over 36” and 20lbs.

Weekend winners were: $200-Jason Mahlen and $100-Larry Ashwell X 2, Dan Deutschman of Fergus Fall MN, and Steve Andachick. Drawings are done electronically and witnessed by CSKT staff.

We would like to ask everyone to be safe out on the water!  Please watch the weather reports, have safety equipment on board (life jackets do no good unless you have them on) keep cell phones dry, and make sure someone knows your plan for the day. 

Tight lines and good luck everyone!

–CSKT–

Feature photo via MackDays.com

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