Montana Cats Staff

March 21, 2008 by Montana Cats Staff

3/21/08- Yes…..it’s that time once again. Break out your tackle and round up some of your favorite bait, its catfishing time! As the month of March comes to a close, the ice is beginning to break loose on Montana’s lakes and rivers. When April arrives, the bite will be heating up and it will be time to go out and look for some monster cats. With that in mind we would like to update you on the direction of the website, association and tournament schedule for the 2008 season.

2007 was a great year that included positive progress for the Montana Catfish Association. The website continued to grow at a rapid pace and the message board activity reached an all-time high. The Montana Cats field staff also expanded to five members in 2007, with the inclusion of Nate Molstad and Steve Harris. Steve and Nate bring a wealth of experience and a love for the sport of catfishing to the current staff.

We are open to suggestions on improving the association now and in the future. Look for memberships to become available by 2009. We are also seeking ways to improve and expand our website. We hope to include Podcast interviews and Youtube video on the site this year. Video footage of fishing trips, tournament weigh-ins as well as podcast interviews of tournament participants will be a way to increase web traffic and improve viewers online experience. We also hope to update the tackle section to include reviews on: catfish reels, hooks and boats. The Cat Waters section will be updated to include the: Powder River, Tongue River/Reservoir, and Missouri River. We also hope to include a new apparel section that will include: caps, t-shirts, decals, etc.

June 02, 2007 by Montana Cats Staff

When catfisherman talk about 6.5 inches they are usually referring to the size of their sucker minnows, not the amount of rain that fell in the month of May in the Glasgow area. The record rainfall had a HUGE effect on the fishing conditions, with the river reaching near flood stage in much of the tournament boundary

May 19, 2007 by Montana Cats Staff

The Yellowstone Challenge marked the first ever Catfish tournament in the Billings region. Local anglers who participated in the inaugural tournament were eager to get out on the water to catch some huge cats and capture bragging rights. 42 teams in all (mostly local) braved the high water conditions for an afternoon of good fun and competition. The field was essentially split, with half the field fishing from shore and the other half from boat.

July 22, 2006 by Montana Cats Staff

East Grand Forks, MN 7/22/06 – The Red River of the North is widely considered the premier Channel Catfish water in the world. The Red didn’t disappoint as the Montana Cats Pro Staff, along with Montana Cats member Steve Harris, made the seven hour trek across North Dakota to compete in the annual Red River Valley Catfish Club Tournament. Brady Flaten and Steve Harris made up the first team and the brother combination of Jason and Brenner Flaten comprised the second. Conditions weren’t ideal with low waters, extreme temperatures and the fish in post-spawn mode which provided numerous challenges for the Montana anglers. Pre-fishing proved puzzling as the fish weren’t necessarily congregated in one specific area. Both teams, however, enjoyed great success pre-fishing on Friday, boating numerous fish over the 10 pound mark. Confidence was high and anticipation great. Strategy would prove to be a huge aspect in this and every Red River tournament. Three fish would be weighed with one of those fish having to be under the 24” mark. Due to state regulations there would also be no sorting or culling fish in the live well. This would force anglers to make the tough decision on whether not to keep or release the fish after landing it. 35 teams took off from the South landing at 7:00 A.M. and had to return by 3:00 P.M. The team of Brady Flaten and Steve Harris, however, didn’t need the full allotted time weighing their three fish in at 10:30. The strategy of not putting anything in the live well less than 15 pounds before noon turned out to be successful. Brady and Steve turned back 3 other fish over 10 pounds before finally boating their final fish of 16.8 lbs. Three fish consisting of 16.8, 15.8 & 3.6 totaled 36.2 lbs good enough for 4th place. Brenner and Jason Flaten turned in a fish of 14.2 and 3.2 for a tournament total of 17.2 lbs. Boat trouble and the tough decision of turning a fish of 9 lbs back summed up the day for the brother combo. The Red River Valley Catfish Club put on an outstanding tournament and a good time was enjoyed by all. If you have any questions about this tournament or the Red River in general, please feel free to post on the message board.

June 10, 2006 by Montana Cats Staff

Savage 6/10/06- The Yellowstone River is the longest free flowing river in the lower 48 States and it boasts some of Montana’s best Catfishing. It was put to the test this Saturday during the 3rd Annual Savage Fire Dept. Catfish Tournament. The folks at the Savage have put forth a ton of effort to get this fishing extravaganza organized and running. This years event included a pre-tournament social, Calcutta, fishing tournament, catfish feed and numerous door prizes. The tournament rules allowed teams of 1-3 and the quirky rule of targeting 12 to 18″ Cats (5 fish limit). Normally this would not be a difficult task, however, the Yellowstone has an average fish size much larger than that. It was a rainy afternoon with as much as 1 1/2 inches of rain falling on the contestants heads. Most teams weighed fish but staying under the slot limit was difficult for many. 39 teams braved the wind and rain to fish for the mighty Channel Cat. Brady Flaten, Brenner Flaten & Jason Flaten, fishing in a 2006 River Pro, were able to find the right combination. They finished with a 5 fish total weighing 7.74 pounds, which was good enough for the tournament title. This tournament was well run and a good time was had by all. Montana Cats recommends anyone interested in a good time and meeting some friendly people to pencil in the second weekend of June, 2007 for Savage, MT.