July 18, 2026 by Montana Cats Staff
7/18/26 Sidney, MT. - The 18th Annual Monster Cat Roundup featured 35 teams and numerous anglers that had their eyes on the top prize, but in the end it was a father-son duo that put it all together and won their first ever Montana Cats tournament title. Abraham Hawkins and Kenneth Hawkins, both of Billings, MT., followed up last year's runner-up finish in Sidney with 36.04 lbs. It isn't easy going top two in a tournament in back to back years but Team Hawkins has been quietly ascending on the Montana Cats Circuit for the last half a decade and now they may be here to stay! The highlight of the day for the winning squad came when Abraham boated a 15.08 lb. giant, the second largest Channel Cat in tournament history. Only Nicole Peterson's 16.02 lb. Cat from 2020 is larger throughout the 18 years of the event. Abraham credited the addition of an oxygen system to his boat livewell setup; which helped keep their fish healthy on a day where water temperatures exceeded 80 degrees.
Another angler who has been on a bit of a heater during recent Monster Cat Roundup's is Steve Norcutt out of Glasgow. Steve had grabbed a top 10 finish last year after previously snagging hardware with a 3rd place finish in 2023. This year, Steve partnered up with Kenny Bryan, also of Glasgow, and they nearly won the tournament title. Norcutt and Bryan finished runner-up with 34.49 lbs.; almost four pounds clear of the 3rd place finishers. Congrats gentleman on an excellent day on the water.
3rd Place went to a team that needs no introduction. The "Wise Guys", Bobby and Robert, out of Billings, were able to break the coveted 30 lb. barrier, when they scaled 30.64 lbs. It is the 13th time that the legendary father-son combo has finished in the Top 3 of a Montana Cats circuit event and the 4th time they've pulled hardware in Sidney. Furthermore, Bobby and Robert have finished in the Top five of the Final Angler of the Year Standings eight times over the past 13 years. After finishing in 8th place at the season opening Yellowstone Challenge and 12th place at the Cat Classic they are setting themselves up for yet another top 3 finish in the Final AOY standings. They are currently sitting near the top of the leaderboard with 55 points.
Brenner Flaten, Glasgow, MT, and Jason Flaten, Elko, NV., broke an all-time Montana Circuit record at last year's Monster Cat Roundup and followed it up this year with a very respectable 4th place finish. The experienced tournament anglers turned in a solid performance and finished with 29.32 lbs. The Flaten brothers added a pair of top five finishes and now share the top 2 spots in the Montana Cats record books with 58 career top five finishes between the two of them. Jason leads the current B'n'M Montana Cats Angler of the Year standings with a very impressive 70 points. Brenner is the only other angler mathematically still alive to hoist the top honor; he currently sits with 47 points and will need at least a top three finish at the Clash in Williston in order to grab a share or sole possession of AOY. Jason and Brenner are both looking for their 3rd career Angler of the Year Award.
Rounding out the top five, was another team that is very familiar with success on the Montana Cats Circuit. Eric Braunberger and Aaron Roble, both of Miles City, MT., put together a fine day on the water and closed with 28.5 lbs. The 5th place honor marks an 8th career top five finish for Eric and it's a third time he's pulled it off at the Monster Cat Roundup in Sidney.
As is customary at the Roundup, the Ranger Lounge provided the headquarters for both the Friday night calcutta and fisherman social and the post-tournament meal on Saturday for all participating anglers. Tournament founders and current directors, Steve and Ashley Harris, put on another great show for the community of Sidney. Special shoutout to these two who supported their local businesses and kicked in over $1,500 in door prizes that went back to randomly drawn tournament participants. The 19th Annual Monster Cat Roundup will return to Sidney on it's traditional weekend; Saturday July 17th, 2027 and Montana Cats has some plans in place to help boost team numbers with a goal of getting this event back to 50 teams! We will close out the 2026 season in Williston next month. The 16th Annual Missouri River Catfish Clash will be held on Saturday August 15th and tournament registrations will be accepted online until the calcutta at the Midway Junction Bar; which will be held on Friday evening August 14th.
Complete Final Results -- 18th Annual Monster Cat Roundup
Click HERE
Posted in: Monster Cat Roundup
