Monster Mack Money! A Fish Worth $10,000 Swims in Montana Waters

With no entry fees and the option to fish as little or as much as your schedule allows, let a fortune in fish lure you in!

Yes, a fish worth $10,000 is the showpiece of this annual event. But there are plenty of other big-money incentives as well.

The 2024 Fall Mack Days Lake Trout Fishing Event on Flathead Lake is going to start two weeks earlier than in past years. Running September 5 through November 3, the event dates were moved up to try and alleviate the cold mid-November temperatures anglers have endured the past several years.

Mack Days is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The two 9-week tournaments each year are used as a fisheries management tool to increase the populations of native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout in Flathead Lake. The events are sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

Up to $200,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the event. There are numerous ways to win, including tagged fish. One lake trout will be tagged with a $10,000 numbered tag. Three will have $5,000 numbers, and 5 will have $1,000 numbers. Plus, there are over 9,000 lake trout with values from $100 to $500. The high dollar lake trout are tagged a week or two before the event begins.

Other categories in which anglers can compete include:  Ladies, Youth 12 and Under, Youth Age 13-17, Top Twenty Anglers, and Age 70 and Over. All it takes is one entry to win in the lottery category. Weekend drawings are held with five winners each weekend.

Anglers can fish as little or as much of the tournament as they want, with no entry fees. Many more details can found on the Mack Days Tourney here.

Unfortunately, the Mack Days website is still being developed. To enter, or submit questions or comments, you can email tournament director Cindy Benson: cindy.benson@cskt.org. Please include your name, mailing address, telephone number, and age.

Tight lines everyone!