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GET HOOKED ON OUR SPONSORS:

Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes,
MFW& Parks,
Polson Business Community, Sportsman's Warehouse-Missoula

Bob Ward and Sons-Missoula,
Polson Bay Grocery,
Polson Outdoors Inc.,
 Polson Chamber of Commerce, 
KERR/KQ92, Community Banks-Polson,
   Gull Printing-Polson,
Snappy Sports Center-Kalispell,  
 Zimmer Tackle-Pablo,
 Lake County Leader-Polson, KECI-Monty Turner, Montana Outdoor Radio Show,
KPAX Television

Thank you for your support.

2008 Spring Mack Days Rules
EVENT RULES

We will update as changes come up.

Dates: March 14,15,16,21,22,23,28,29,30, April 4,5,6,11,12,13,18,19,20,25,26,&27

Anglers are responsible for reading and following the rules of the event.

1. All anglers must have state or tribal fishing licenses; based on which part of the lake they choose to fish (see insert on license requirements).  Anglers may fish any area of Flathead Lake.  The event includes all of Flathead Lake.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have made available a special $10.00  fishing license for the south half of Flathead Lake.  That is the only license needed on the south half of the lake.

Entry fees:  No entry fees will be charged for 2008 Spring Mack Days-this automatically makes everyone eligible for the large lake trout category.    

2. SPIRIT OF THE RULE:  It is the intention of this event to promote good sportsmanship and fair play.  Unsportsmanlike conduct and cheating will result in disqualification.  Interpretations of the rules shall be exclusively left to the event officials/committee; all decisions are final.
   
   See the Rules of Disqualification page.

    

    3. Prizes will be awarded in the following amounts:

1)  Teens & Kids (17 years of age & under):     Youth anglers will compete with adults for cash prizes up to $600.  Youth anglers along with adults will be eligible for cash awards for  tagged fish  in the tagged fish category. ($10-$5,000) Top youth angler will
receive $200 and second will receive $100.
 

          2)  Top Anglers-highest number
                            of lake trout entered. These will be
                            awarded based on the 12 best  days
                            out of the 21 days you fish.  In case of a tie
                            anglers will split the award prize.
                      

All it takes is one fish to win!!
Drawing-Your 12 best totals will be used for this drawing.  Fishing more than 12 days will give you the opportunity to increase your total, catch a tagged fish, and put you in a higher bonus category. Limit 1 lottery drawing per angler.There will be up to 20 additional  prizes-see chart below- from $500-$100 plus the extra prizes for the captain, smallest lake trout, largest lake trout, etc. to total $10,000.

                              
The following prizes are separate from the above categories.

Early Angler Registration-$100-qualify by entering on or before March 12th and enter at least one fish in the event-one prize.

Captain's Prize-$250.00-enter each day by giving us the name of the captain or boat name  of your boat or the boat you were boarded on when you enter your catch-three prizes.

Smallest lake trout-$250.00-two prizes.

Door Prizes- $100-one prize-drawn from registrations-you must be present to win

Ladies Only!!-$150 prize-qualify by turning in 20 lake trout-one prize.

Largest Lake Trout- $500 for the largest lake trout over 36" and weighing 24 #'s or more.
 

Bonuses: $10,000-$25,000 will be paid out in this category.
Bonus category will be based on your total number
of entries at the end of the event.

0-19 lake trout=$0, 20-30=$20, 31-60=$40, 61-100=$80, 101-150=$130, 151-200=$175, 201-250=$200, 251-300=$275, 301-350=$325, 350-400=$375, 401-450=$425, 451-500=$475, & 500-550=$500 & on  up

Tagged Fish Category-Rules: 

Background: 770 lake trout were tagged before the event and will be worth $10-$5,000 each regardless of when it is caught during the event.  They are tagged and the adipose fin is clipped.  They were released at different locations in Flathead Lake by CSKT & FWP fisheries staff.  If you catch a what you think is a tagged fish-it will be helpful if you mark the fish by wrapping a rubber band or electrical tie around the tail of the fish.

All lake trout with a clipped adipose fin will be scanned with an electronic reader by staff when fish are turned in at the check-in stations. 

 The winning fish must meet these requirements for a $5,000 prize:

1)      it must have a PIT tag

2)    its tag number must match a number of one of the 770 lake trout tagged by fisheries staff.

3) the angler must be entered in the event. Youth anglers may win up to $600 in the prize categories.

5)  the fish must be caught during one of the 21 days of the 2008 Spring Mack Days contest.

All tagged fish received at the check-in stations that do not qualify for a $5,000 prize will win a $500 - $10 prize-depending on the tag number.

4.    Maximum length for lake trout entered is 30".  Anglers count will include only fish caught by that angler. There is no lower size limit of lake trout that will be accepted for the regular drawing. This restriction is designed to protect large lake trout, which are both highly valued  by anglers and present in low numbers.    It is also consistent with the lake management plan, which directs the protection of large lake trout while reducing small ones. 

5.  Regulation limits of lake trout are 50 per day under 30"  and 1 over 36".  Lake trout 30"-36"are not legal to keep.  They are "slot fish" and regulations require that they are to be released back into the lake. Be sure of your counts when you enter your fish do not bring more than 50 lake trout per person to be entered.

6.  Event officials will mark each fish submitted if they are not donated.
 

Fish may be submitted for tickets at the following  locations (see map). 

Blue Bay Campground: 9:00-dark

Somers Fishing Access:  7:00 p.m.-except April 27th

Salish Point Boat Ramp:  7:00 p.m.-except April 27th
 
                         ***April 27th-fish check-in  from  9:00-4:00-***
                Salish Point in Polson-behind Kwataqnuk Resort
                            All fish are to be turned in by 4:00
                                       No  tickets will be issued after 4:00
                                                                 
Tickets will be drawn on Sunday April 27th- 5:00 p.m.-Salish Point
Fish fry at 4:00-bring your lawn chairs. 

7. Anglers may submit fish from anywhere on Flathead Lake. 

If you do not wish to keep your fish you may donate them to the event, which will distribute them to area food banks.  All fish submitted for donation must have been  on cubed or crushed ice from the time of capture to the time of submittal. Fish not put on ice will not be accepted for donation.

    8.   Fish submitted for tickets must be caught on the day of the submittal.

   9.  All prize winners are responsible to cover all taxes associated with prize winnings.

  10.  New-All anglers in a boat that is submitting fish for the lottery drawing must be entered in the event.  Entries are taken at anytime until the end of the event.

  11. Please observe the following:  Know the difference between bull trout and lake trout (information on identification will be available). Thoroughly wash off your boat and trailer when coming from another water body where exotic hitchhiking organisms may reside.

  12.  Safety is very important when boating.  You are required to follow all U.S. Coast Guard Boating Regulations.  We recommend having a cell phone or Marine Band Radio on board your boat.  Keep phones in a dry area and batteries charged.  PFD's/life jackets do you no good if they are not on your back when you need them-wear your PFD.  Make sure someone knows when you expect to be off the water.  Be aware of weather conditions at all times.  Practice the three C's-Caution, Courtesy, and Common Sense.

Largest Live Lake Trout Contest Rules****See Rule #5

Lake trout are a highly abundant predator that has shaped the fish community in Flathead Lake.  The goal of the State and Tribes, developed with extensive public involvement, is to reduce the numbers of lake trout to benefit other species
in the lake, especially native trout.  Specifically, the direction of the management plan is to reduce small lake trout while continuing to protect large lake trout.  This direction is the result of a practical compromise.  The overall reduction of numbers is intended to reduce the predation by lake trout on other species. The protection of large fish is a compromise to maintain quality-fishing opportunities for lake trout.  The end result should be a more diverse fishery.  This event is conducted to be consistent with the management goals. 

Prize: $500-must be 24#'s or over and at least 36" long.

 Dates: March 14,15,16,21,22,23,28,29,30, April 4,5,6,11,12,13,18,19,20,25,26-the large lake trout category ends on the 26th-rest of the contest ends on the 27th.

 There will be no large fish category on the last day of the event April 27th.  Fish under 30" can be turned in until 4:00 on April 27th.

1. All entrants must have a cell phone.  Calls must be made between 9:00 a.m. & 4:30 p.m. (Go to # 5)

2. Anglers are asked to check the www.mackdays.com web site before each day of angling to determine the weight of the leading fish.  Anglers are encouraged to release large lake trout whose weight is clearly less than the weight of the leading fish currently in first place. The winning lake trout will be the heaviest lake trout.

3. When a large fish is caught, anglers must call 406-270-3386 or 406-982-3142 to determine the size of the currently largest fish, and  if their catch is larger, a boat will come to the location of the angler and conduct an official weighing.

4. To qualify for the contest, winning fish must be alive at the time of the official weighing.  Anglers may keep their fish for personal use, but will be encouraged to release the fish.

5. This contest ends at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday April 26th-no calls accepted after that time for weighing in of large lake trout. There will be no large fish contest that last day (April 27th) of the event.

6.  Lake trout must be over 36" and 24 #'s to be accepted for entry in the large lake trout category.

7.  Anglers are encouraged to have and use a live well to hold fish until measured.  If you have no live well use a net or mesh bag  to hold fish from the side of the boat or use a large cooler for holding.  Add and remove water in the cooler until staff can arrive to measure the fish for you.  Handle large fish with care.  Try to reduce injury from handling.  Hold fish under the jaw, do not hold fish by the gills. This helps to reduce the risk of damage to the fish. 

Mack Days reserves the right to: photograph event entries, reproduce any photos for publicity purposes, and retain all photo rights.

Questions:    Barry Hansen   406-883-2888 Ex. 7282
                        Cindy Bras-Benson  406-883-2888 Ex. 7294 or 270-3386 
                        email:  webmaster
                   Mountain Wahl  406-883-2888 Ex. 7294 or 270-3386
                        Blue Bay (during the event)-406-982-3142 

Thank you for your participation in 2008 Spring  Mack Days!!!

Let us know what you like or didn’t like and what we can do to improve.

Celebrate Life-Take a kid fishing!

 Sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Sanctioned by CSKT and MFWP 

Fish fry at
at 4:00 p.m.-April 27th
Salish Point-Polson

Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy visiting with other anglers and families.
10/12/03