Milk River Catfish Classic

June 04, 2023 by Montana Cats Staff

Glasgow, MT 6/3/23 -  Just when you think you've seen it all, the Cat Classic will surprise you with conditions one might deem "impossible".  After two consecutive years with unseasonably low water; we had nearly record river flows and at least minor flooding throughout tournament boundaries as the main channel and it's tributary creeks swelled with the onslaught of early summer rainfall.  The Tampico section in particular, saw rapid overnight rise, going from 2,000 to 5,000 CFS from midnight on Friday to Midnight on Saturday.  The previous record flows for tampico was just 2,800 CFS 2010 and 2012.  Every section, downstream of Beaver Creek, was dramatically effected during tournament hours.        

June 05, 2022 by Montana Cats Staff

Glasgow, MT 6/4/22 -  Low water.  That was the theme for this year's version of the Milk River Catfish Classic.  How would the fishermen adapt?  Would fishing become increasingly difficult?  Would teams still find a way to put together impressive baskets of fish?  Yes, fishing proved to be very difficult on an otherwise beautiful evening, however, many teams adapted and simply found a way.  Eighty teams brought 276 cats to the scales at the famous midnight weigh-ins in downtown Glasgow.  Forty two teams caught their limit of five Channel Cats, but only five teams brought in over 20 lbs.  Those numbers, unfortunately, bore a stark resemblance to the low water years of the early 2000's.    

June 05, 2021 by Montana Cats Staff

Glasgow, MT 6/5/21 - The Cat Classic is the gift that keeps on giving!  Simply unbelievable.  On a week where it seemed big fish would be hard to come by, it proved to be anything but.  With very lower water conditions and a heat index in the 90's for the days leading up to the tourney there was an expectation among anglers that this years tourney would be a real challenge and the resident population of catfish in the Mighty Milk would be tight lipped on tourney night.  Leave it the Cat Classic to throw everyone a wrench and come out swinging.  The fishing was fantastic again this year for the 80-team field as twenty eight teams weighed in over 20 lbs. of fish!  That ties the all-time record set in 2017 and 2019.     

June 06, 2020 by Montana Cats Staff

6/6/2020 (Glasgow, MT)- What an unforgettable weekend!  The 21st version of the Milk River Catfish Classic is one that won't soon be forgotten.  Normal flows, warmer weather, and an impeding storm were just some of the things on the minds of this year's anglers as they prepared for battle.  Thankfully, the high winds ultimately subsided on Saturday evening and the rains effected only a small portion of the tournament boundaries. The stage was set for another great night of fishing on the Milk!  Once again a full field of 80 teams competed in the 8-hour shootout.  At the end of the evening, 72 of the 80 teams would weigh in fish; with 24 teams topping the 20 lb. barrier.  307 Channel Catfish hit the scales on Saturday night and ALL were returned safely to the Milk River. 

June 01, 2019 by Montana Cats Staff

6/1/19 (Glasgow, MT) - The 20th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic was historic in more ways than one.  In the weeks leading up to the tournament, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce announced a “New” event in conjunction with the Catfish Classic.  The Inaugural Milk River Catfish Days brought a whole new flavor to downtown Glasgow that lasted the entire weekend.  The community enjoyed two nights of live music, a pancake breakfast, a bloody mary and breakfast burrito brunch hosted by the Elks, a Corn hole tournament for both youth and adults, a beer pong tournament, a catfish fry catered by the Cottonwood, the school’s out carnival hosted by the Children’s Museum, a 1 Mile / 5k Race called the Catfish Crawl, a pitching booth hosted by the Glasgow Reds, Catfish “Crazy Days” for vendors and retail stores alike, a youth fishing tournament at Home Run Pond, and a youth outdoors clinic hosted by the Hi-Line Sportsmen. All of the aforementioned events added to the traditional; Friday night Calcutta, Social, and Street Dance, the 20th Annual Cat Classic, and the “Famous Midnight Weigh-ins” to make this year’s version one that will not be soon forgotten.

This year’s 80-team field was filled during the first month of open registrat