Spring Mack Days total smashes record

Spring Mack Days ended on Saturday, May 10 with a total haul that smashed the 2019 Spring Event record of 40,362 lake trout with a total of 60,138 entries turned in over the nine weeks of fishing on Flathead Lake.

A total of 206 anglers out of the 562 registered anglers turned in one or more lake trout. Fridays total came to 2,522 and Saturday ended with 1,360. Total entries from the Friday to Sunday fishing is 48,393 and Monday to Thursday fishing came to 11,745. 

Mack Days is a fish conservation effort used as a tool to reduce the non-native lake trout and increase the native bull trout and westslope cutthroat populations in Flathead Lake.

Coming in first in the Top 20 anglers was Kalispell angler Kolton Turner with 2,320 entries and a 100.0 18-day average. This is win number five for Kolton in the Spring Events beginning with the 2021. 

A close second place was Jason Mahlen of Kalispell with 2,243 entries and average of 99.56. Jason is a seven time first place winner over the years. 

Bob Turner of Kalispell was third with 2,142 and 96.78, in fourt place was David Myers of Riverton, Wyo., with 2,182 and 96.67, and in fifth was Clint Speer of Kalispell 1,586 72.22.

Janet Myers of Riverton WY was first in the Ladies with 506. Second place with 251 entries was Connie Jones of Kalispell, and in third place was Shaunda Albert of Ronan with 220.

Veteran youth angler Brodie Smith-Kalispell took first in the 13-17 Category with a total of 796. Up and coming angler Carter Lindsay was first in the 12 & Under category with 70.

Largest lake trout entry was a 38.25” lake trout weighing 22.66 pounds turned in by Tristan Persico of Missoula on Friday. Tristan was meet on shore for the weighing and released the older lake trout back into the lake.

Smallest lake trout awards went to Jim Flinchbaugh of Kalispell with a 156mm lake trout 6.5” and Gene Corne with a 155mm small lake trout.

Spirit of the Event custom made knives by Bob Crowder of Thompson Falls were awarded to Janet Myers of Riverton WY and Patrick Casey of Townsend. This award is given to anglers who exemplify what the events are and show good sportsmanship. Siberian Coolers were won by Clint Speer, Claude Kaber and Jason Mahlen. Tagged lake trout the last week of the event were turned in by Ryker Bair of Helena X 2, Julie Perkins, Larry Karper, and Weston Turner.