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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.
Despite the tremendous fishing by multiple teams, it was a pair of familiar faces that set a new bar that will be tough to beat! Brenner Flaten of Glasgow and Jason Flaten of Elko, Nevada weighed in an INCREDIBLE 47.14 lbs! Smashing a tournament record by nearly 9 lbs. that had stood for 12 years. It also sets a new Montana Cats Circuit Record, breaking another 12-year mark of 44.08 lbs. set at the Missouri River Catfish Clash in Williston back in August of 2013. Notably, it establishes a new standard for the largest margin of victory in 78 Montana Cats events held throughout the past 26 years.
Jason landed a 13.21 lb. behemoth to take Big Fish honors over of the weekend. Brenner added a 10.32 lb. pig that fell just shy of the 2nd biggest fish of the event. The teammates also had a 9.5, 7.5, and a 6.5 in their historic basket of fish. Making matters very interesting during the day; the brothers had forgotten their net in the pickup and had to land EVERY fish by hand once they had gotten them boatside. Brenner added, "Numbers were great during pre-fishing. We caught 20 Cats today and we were happy that the size was also there on tournament day. We released two over 5 1/2 pounds, it was the type of day that you only dream of." This is a 4th Roundup title for Brenner and his 14th Championship on Circuit. It is an 8th tournament title on the Montana Cats Tour for Jason.
Finishing runner-up was a father-son duo from Billings; Abraham and Kenneth Hawkins. The Hawkins connection brought in a whopping 34.88 lbs. to the weigh-ins. Their total weight would have been good enough to win the Monster Cat Roundup in nine of the previous sixteen years. Abraham's 8.87 lb. Cat helped them put together their best weight in their career on Circuit and solidified their first "Hardware" for the wall with a top 3 finish.
3rd Place went to a team that has really been making noise over the last five years. Todd and Kellie Lindsay of Laurel put together a very impressive limit of five. The husband and wife "smacked em" to the tune of 33.48 lbs. to secure themselves another plaque. Todd had teamed up with his son, JJ, to win this very same event in 2023 while Todd and Kellie already had a top ten finish to their credit in 2025. The Lindsay's managed a 7th place finish to kick off this season at the Yellowstone Challenge in Huntley. This is Todd's 5th Top 10 finish in a Circuit event since 2023.
Billings anglers, Kevin and Rochelle Howie, made it three straight teams from Yellowstone County with their 4th place finish. The husband and wife paired up and impressed with a 32.96 lb. bag. The Howie's are no strangers to the Montana Cats Circuit and this effort represents their best finish since Kevin teamed up with Travis Kennedy to finish in 2nd place at the 2015 Yellowstone Challenge. Congratulations on a great day on the water.
Rounding out the top five, was a pair of anglers very familiar to the top of the leaderboard. Rod Seder of Billings and Tim Linder of Glendive posted a 30.47 lb. mark and secured that coveted top five finish. It marks a 13th Top five finish in a Circuit event for Seder and a 17th time in the top 10. The last 30 lb. basket went to Todd Dooley of Sidney and Tanner Lien of Savage. The two avid outdoorsman weighed in 30.2 lbs. to finish in 6th place overall and win that coveted unofficial title of "highest finishing local".
What a weekend it was! Montana Cats cannot thank Steve and Ashley Harris enough for their 17 years of dedication to this event. 17 years married and 17 years of co-directing an awesome competitive catfish tournament in Steve's hometown of Sidney. The Roundup is a family-friendly event and brings all of Eastern Montana together every July. We appreciate the Ranger Lounge for the dedicated space they always provide in hosting our Friday night fisherman social and Calcutta. They also host the "free feed" for all anglers and their families following the tournament. A classy business all the way around! We have now touched 3rd base and we are headed for home. Join us for the 4th and final leg of the 2025 Montana Cats season in Williston, North Dakota on Saturday August 16th. There are plenty of current openings and the tournament will be limited to the first 60 boats entered. It will mark the 15th Annual Missouri River Catfish Clash and it will surely decide this year's race for the coveted Montana Cats Angler of the Year Award.
Final Results 17th Annual Monster Cat Roundup HERE
Posted in: Monster Cat Roundup
