Montana Catfish Association - News & Updates

July 19, 2025 by Montana Cats Staff

7/19/25 Sidney, MT - The National Weather Service had warned of problematic weather, however, participating anglers had no idea the real storm that was about to ensue.  It first came at 8:30 AM in the form of thunder, lightning, pouring rain, and high winds.  After 3:00 PM it came in the form of a record-breaking basket of fish that likely no one seen coming.  The bout of extreme weather did hit earlier than anticipated and it provided plenty of loud booms, cracks, and a nice light show.  It also brought a hard and steady rain along with it, but ultimately it did not alter the fish activity on the lower Yellowstone River.  The post-spawn Channel Cats came out to play and the field of 40 jet boats were there to challenge them every step of the way.  In the 17th year of this event; a record six teams cleared the 30lb. barrier and just under half of the field brought over 20 lbs. to the scale.  

June 07, 2025 by Montana Cats Staff

6/7/25 Glasgow, MT -  This year's version of the Cat Classic featured wind gusts of over 40 miles per hour which brought smoke down from Canada.  Combine those outdoor elements with less than ideal river flows and it made for an interest evening on the water for the 160 anglers that made up the 80 teams competing.  With the Milk River struggling to maintain it's optimal water supply it was speculated that fishing would prove more difficult than previous years.  That did not end up becoming reality, however, as 72 teams would bring a total of 311 fish to the scales with an average weight of 3.46 lbs.  The entire top twenty cleared the 20 lb. barrier proving that even some of the most difficult conditions or no match for a full field of veteran Cat Classic anglers.   

May 10, 2025 by Montana Cats

Huntley, MT- The 2025 Montana Cats Tournament Circuit kicked off this past weekend in Huntley with the 19th Annual Yellowstone Challenge.  The Yellowstone Challenge boasts one of the most complete and competitive tourney rosters on the circuit year in and year out and this year's version did not disappoint.  Over a dozen past circuit champions littered the field with numerous top 3 place winners joining in.  The weather proved to be beautiful once again, with temps creeping near 80 and increasing water levels due to rain earlier in the week.  The high temps and rising water levels sent a signal to the Channel Cats to throw on the feed bag in record fashion.   When the dust settled, 49 teams finished with over 20lbs (4 lb avg), 33 teams over 25 lbs and 11 teams over the elusive 30 lb mark.  These marks smashed previous records in all weight categories and are a testament to the amazing conditions, health of the fishery and mastery displayed by the tournament anglers.

August 17, 2024 by Montana Cats Staff

8/17/24 Williston, ND - For the second consecutive Montana Cats circuit event we had newcomers breaking through for a tourney championship!  This time it was brothers; Kyle and Daniel Brown, both of Billings, MT. who showed up and showed out.  The Brown's were fishing the "Williston section" for the first time in their lives and were not even able to get their planned day of pre-fishing in on Friday.  Due to boat problems on Friday morning, the anglers had to spend the whole day tracking down tools/parts in Williston and getting their boat ready in time for tournament day.  This did not deter the dedicated anglers and they still managed to put together the best day out of an entire 43 boat field.  

July 20, 2024 by Montana Cats Staff

7/20/24 Sidney, MT - For 16 years Steve and Ashley Harris have brought mid-summer fun to Sidney, MT. in the form of a Catfish Tournament on the Yellowstone River.  The annual Monster Cat Roundup is practically a religion for those that carve out the same weekend every single year to spend it in the Eastern Montana wilderness chasing BIG fish.  The Montana Catfish Association is one big family and this event and the greater Sidney area make up a large part of our organization.  This year's weather would cooperate and bring a clear sunny day to Richland County.  In return, the field of 48 would have the best day of fishing in tournament history.