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Flathead Lake is at a turning point. Years of aggressive lake trout suppression through the Mack Days fishing derbies and targeted gill netting operations have reshaped the fishery. Once known for its trophy lake trout and thriving guide businesses, the lake is now dominated by juvenile lake trout, with fewer large fish remaining.
Biological Success—and a New Challenge
This shift is biologically intentional. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), in cooperation with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), have worked for two decades to reduce the lake trout population in order to protect native species like bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. And it’s worked.
Spring 2025 revealed the next phase of this strategy:
• Adult lake trout numbers are down—so far down that juvenile lake trout, no longer preyed on by large adults, are surging in population.
• This spring’s Mack Days catch has been overwhelmingly dominated by these smaller fish—so many that the high-value prizes had to be suspended mid-event.
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Mack Days Prize Reductions: Fewer Dollars, Fewer Anglers?
On April 23, 2025, CSKT suspended all high-dollar tag rewards, converting every tagged fish to a flat $100 value. Bonus payouts for top anglers were also capped at the current maximum level, regardless of fish totals. This decision was driven by a catch volume 50% higher than any previous contest.
While this highlights biological success, it also changes the economics of participation:
• Anglers will now earn less despite catching more fish.
• For some, the cost of gas, gear, and time no longer justifies the lower payouts.
• This is expected to reduce fishing pressure, especially among participants motivated more by money than conservation.
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Economic Impact on Local Businesses
This shift is deeply felt by fishing guides, tackle shops, marinas, and lodging providers who built their livelihood around Flathead Lake’s once-famous trophy lake trout.
• As big fish disappear, guide clients are catching small fish instead—less thrilling, less rewarding, and less worth paying for.
• Some guides have scaled back operations. Others have exited the business entirely.
• The region’s trophy fishing tourism model is collapsing, replaced by a high-volume, low-value catch dynamic that lacks the same draw.
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How It’s All Funded
Mack Days prizes and operations are funded through a combination of hydropower mitigation funds and fish sales:
Mack Days Estimated Funding (Per Event)
• Total Payouts/Prizes Offered: ~$225,000
• Funding Sources:
• Dam mitigation funds (from Séliš Ksanka Qlispe’ and Hungry Horse Dams): ~$200,000+
• Proceeds from lake trout sales (via Native Fish Keepers, Inc.): ~$10,000–$25,000+
• Tribal funds or grants: Supplemental as needed
Prize Money Breakdown (Estimate)
• Tagged fish rewards: ~$50,000+
• Bonus catch payouts: ~$100,000+
• Category awards (ladies, youth, seniors, etc.): ~$25,000+
• Drawings and random prizes: ~$20,000–$30,000
• Admin & biological monitoring: Remainder (~10–15%)
This financial structure allows CSKT to offer large incentives to anglers while maintaining a self-sustaining conservation strategy—but with fewer big fish and reduced payouts, the pressure may ease whether or not that’s the intention.
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Jurisdictional Shift: Managing the Whole Lake
Although CSKT’s legal authority is centered on the southern half of Flathead Lake, their biological management efforts have reshaped the entire ecosystem. The effectiveness of both Mack Days and gill netting operations—combined with cooperative work with state agencies—means the tribe now functionally manages the lake-wide fishery.
This raises big questions:
• What’s the long-term plan now that big fish are gone?
• Can the lake support a recreational fishery focused entirely on small fish?
• What happens to local businesses built on a now-vanished ecosystem?
