May 09, 2026 by Montana Cats Staff
5/9/26 Huntley, MT. - For two decades the top Catfisherman in the State of Montana have kicked off the Montana Cats Circuit in Huntley. This year marked the 20th Annual Yellowstone Challenge Catfish Tournament. The Challenge is a competitive family-friendly event that takes place on the 2nd Saturday of every May. Like clockwork, a FULL field of 60 two-person teams will hit the water in their Jet Boats and tackle the Stone for a full eight hours. This year's event ran from 10 AM to 6 PM and offered the anglers changing weather patterns throughout the day; from rains, to overcast, to variable sunshine. Despite the various weather changes, the fish came out to play all day long and it resulted in the most impressive top-end of the leaderboard in tournament history. 44 teams finished with over 20 lbs. and an incredible 17 teams finished with over 30 lbs. The latter marks an all-time RECORD surpassing the total number of 30 lb. baskets set just last year in the 2025 Yellowstone Challenge.
Brenner Flaten, Glasgow, MT., and Jason Flaten, Elko, NV. put together a fantastic day as the brothers secured their 4th Yellowstone Challenge title since 2018. Their tourney winning weight of 38.81 lbs. is the 2nd highest weight in tournament history. The anglers noted that they targeted fish in new locations this year due to the low water conditions and it paid off in BIG fish. Brenner noted, "We landed 16 Cats on the day, and 15 of them ranged from 5.24 to 10.1 lbs. It's crazy; the small fish weren't biting." This is a 3rd Consecutive Montana Cats event title for Brenner after victories in Sidney and Williston to close out the 2025 season. Catfishing has proven to be a family affair for the Flaten's; Brenner has a record 16 Career titles on the Montana Cats Circuit and Jason has added 9 titles to his impressive career on the water.
Blake and Lindsey Gauer, both of Park City, MT. had their own very impressive showing! The husband and wife combo came up just short of a tournament title; claiming runner-up honors with a 37.87 lb. basket. That total marks the 4th highest weight in the twenty years of the event and would have been good enough to top the field in 17 of the previous 20 years. The Gauer's are a very experienced competitive catfishing team and are no strangers to success. When asked about Blake's patience and the overall demeaner of the teammates while on the water; Lindsey remarked "Blake is a good fishing partner". The runner-up finish marks a new personal best for the veteran anglers while it also represents a 9th career Top five finish and a 15th career Top ten finish in Montana Cats Circuit events for Blake.
The last piece of hardware was claimed by Rob Seder and Adam Zelka, both local anglers from Billings. It took 37.42 lbs. to lay claim to 3rd place. Zelka and Seder improved drastically coming off of last year's 27th place finish in the Yellowstone Challenge. The teammates increased their basket by 10+ lbs. this time around and made a serious statement. A five fish limit that features a nearly 7.5 lb. average per Cat is nothing to sneeze at and it deserves distinct recognition. Rob Seder is no stranger to top five finishes at the Circuit level. He was 4th place at the 2020 Challenge, won a title at the Monster Cat Roundup in Sidney (2017) and a three additional top four finishes at the Missouri River Catfish Clash in Williston between 2014 and 2018.
4th place went to a pair of new faces to the top 10 leaderboard. John and Sam Hundtofte, both of Billings, put together their own standout day when they brought 36.56 lbs. to the scales. The Hundtofte's have been teaming up since 2022. After starting outside of the top 50 five years ago, they climbed in the top 25 last year when they weighed in 27.5 lbs. to secure 24th overall, and now they have found themselves firmly inside the Top 5. A very impressive rise over the last half decade.
Rounding out the top five is a pair of familiar faces on the Montana Cats Circuit. Rod Seder, Billings, MT., and Tim Linder, Glendive, MT. It is crazy to think that a weight of 36.20 lbs. barely lands you inside the top 5; but that was the case on such a historic day of fishing in this year's Yellowstone Challenge. It was a very good day on the water for a pair of individuals that have had their share of good days along the way. The 5th place finish marks a 14th career Top five finish for Seder in Montana Cats events and an 18th time inside the Top 10! Both of those marks rank top 10 in the history of the Montana Catfish Association.
35.42, 32.92, 32.77, 32.74, and 32.44 made up the remaining top 10 before a string of seven more 30+ pound baskets crowded the leaderboard. Absolute insanity! That is an indication of the health of the overall fishery and also of the improved knowledge base of our local catfish anglers. Congratulations to the whole field on a job well done. 57 out of 60 teams brought fish to the scales, with 56 of those weighing in beyond 11 lbs. The Big Fish Award was captured by Darin Gagliano of Banner, Wyoming. Darin boated a 10.98 lb. giant to win a $200 cash prize and a plaque for the wall. That fish would push his team up into 22nd place overall.
The Montana Cats Circuit will now make it's way to Glasgow for the 27th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic to be held on Saturday June 6th. The event is currently filled at 80 teams and promises to be a great time. Mark your calendars now for the return of the Yellowstone Challenge. The 21st Annual event will go back to Huntley, Montana on Saturday May 8th, 2027. Registration will officially open on www.montanacats.com on January 1st. Montana Cats would like to personally thank our 2026 Circuit Level sponsors for helping us kickoff the 26' season in such xhilarating fashion. Those key contributors include: Midway Auto & RV, RS Jet Boat Anchors, Shelly George w/ Thrivent Financial, BnM Fishing, MPLX, Mountain Supply, and the Nemont Beverage Corporation.
Posted in: Yellowstone Challenge
