Research Paper Assignment                                                                                                                Nichole Ramsey

                                                                                                                                                                           April 15, 2012

Letter of Intent

Conrad,

                The topic I have chosen for my Research Paper is Mackinaw Days at Flathead Lake. I know that it is a big fishing tournament where they catch thousands of fish in a short amount of time. They have this twice a year.  There must be a reason for this, since they give away thousands of dollars in prizes to get people to go out and catch as many fish as they can. There is not an entry fee, so it is not about raising money. Most species of fish have strict regulations and there is no way, we would be permitted to go out and catch that many fish. I am not sure what the circumstances are, that surround this species and why this is being permitted or allowed. My approach is going to be what are Mac Days and the history of the Mackinaw fish. I guess the big question for me is what is going on?

                I’ve chosen this subject because I live in the Flathead Valley and love to fish. Last year my husband and I finally got the nerve up to put our very small twelve foot aluminum fishing boat in the lake and try to catch one of these “Mac” fish and we had the time of our life.  Our first day out we must of caught eight or so fish and they were big fish. The biggest trout we have ever seen.  I caught a 34.5 inch trout; it took me almost an hour to get it up to the surface and in the boat. We have never caught such big trout in our life. We were hooked, and are looking forward to many years fishing this great lake of ours.  I would like to know who is controlling our waters and who decides what the future holds for them, and the local fishermen.  I do not have any background in this subject, except for what a charter captain said last weekend, when we charted a fishing boat for our anniversary.  That is when we found out there were reasons for Mac Days. A tribe in Polson is working towards a goal, of getting rid of the species, since the Mackinaws are not a native fish to these waters.  I would like to understand how we got to this point and what they are hoping to achieve.

                I have so many questions on this subject.  Such as, if these fish are not native to these waters where did they come from and how did they get here?  Why don’t they want them here?  Is it because they have a bad effect on the environment or another species of fish? What are they trying to accomplish as far as a goal?  What kind of things have they already tried to do, to correct the problem, if there is a problem?  What is the problem? There are so many questions out there that I would like to get answers to.

 Since we moved here nine years ago we have heard about Mac Days, and what a great fishing tournament it is. But, not once have we heard there was a reason for Mac Days.  It almost seems like someone is using Mac Days as a way to get rid of the species, without letting people know there is a controversial issue behind the tournament.  My current perspective on this subject is that we have an amazing world class fishing sport here in the flathead and I do not see any reason to get rid of it. I am looking forward to researching it and finding answers to all my questions.