Montana Catfish Association - News & Updates

December 31, 2010 by Tyler George

Ice fishing season is a time not often associated with the widely misunderstood Channel Catfish. Most anglers limit their quest for the elusive whiskerfish to strictly the warmest months of the year; typically June, July, and August. In fact, most fishermen are under the impression that catfish are simply “bottom feeders”, and the only way to target them would be to use an unimaginable smelly bait. This common misconception could be no further from the truth.

Upon my relocation to the great plains of Wyoming, I began to gather research on possible channel catfishing destinations. After a few Fall scouting trips, one location stood out above the rest. It was Glendo Reservoir, located within beautiful Glendo State Park in Eastern Wyoming. Before I knew it winter was upon Wyoming and I found myself standing on frozen Glendo Reservoir for the first time.

My first ice fishing trip to this body of water was a learning experience to say the least. We hovered over a location where I had done well during open water season, and after searching for what seemed like hours we finally had five holes drilled at our desired depth. As I excitedly dropped my lure down the ten inch hole, I had visions of landing ten to twenty pounders hand over fist all day long. As my lure hit the bottom I reeled up the slack and began a lift-drop-hold cadence. As I began to lift my rod tip the third time I feel dead weight. To my surprise I was latched into a sizable fish. As drag peeled off, my rod pumped towards the ten inch hole. A few tense minutes later and I was posing for photos with my first ever hard-water whiskerfish.

Later that day we drilled more holes

July 23, 2010 by MT Cats Staff

South Sioux City, NE 7/24/10 – What a weekend in Northeast Nebraska as the First Class Cat Attack came roaring into town. For the first time in tournament history, the headquarters were moved across the Mighty Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa to South Sioux City, Nebraska. It turned out to be a great move! The city of South Sioux couldn’t wait to play host to one of the finest catfish tournaments in the country, and it didn’t disappoint. Over the course of the past six years, the First Class Cat Attack has attracted anglers from all over the mid-western United States for a chance at some catfish fame. The 7th Annual event was no different, as 45 teams from 6 different states converged on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. The anglers were once again targeting all three major species of catfish; the Channel, Blue, and the Flathead.

This years version of the Cat Attack provided teams with an all new obstacle to overcome as both rivers were running much higher than normal. To make matters worse, the South Sioux area was hit with another couple inches of rain just days before the event. The added precipitation from the storm had the Big Sioux River bursting at its seams and the Missouri River on a rapid rise. The high water undoubtedly put some teams in a panic and out of some of their comfort levels. As it turns out, the water levels had a drastic impact on the overall catch rate. Not a single team weighed in their limit of 10 catfish, and 20 teams failed to catch a single fish.

There were many teams who seemed to use all of it to there advantage, however, none more impressively than the duo of Travis Carter, of Elk Point, South Dakota, and Dan Foss, of Onawa, Iowa. The impressive teammates focused their efforts in the Missouri River, jumping on the competition early on in the day. They ultimately weighed in eight catfish, six flathead and 2 channels, that tipped the scales at 26.40 lbs., more than 12 lbs. clear of the next

July 17, 2010 by Montana Cats Staff

All eyes were on Eastern Montana once again this past weekend as the Montana Cats Circuit rolled into Sidney for the 2nd Annual Monster Cat Roundup. The Roundup, the 4th leg on the annual tour, burst onto the scene last summer and debuted with 23 teams. This years event ballooned to 35 teams, while continuing to grow into one of the finest catfish tournaments in the state. The weekend kicked off on Friday night with the Social and Calcutta of the fishing teams at the Ranger Lounge in downtown Sidney. The social was once again well attended and provided the perfect leadup to a long day on the water.

June 12, 2010 by MT Cats Staff

Savage, MT 6/12/10 – The small town of Savage, Montana was again all the buzz this past weekend as the annual Catfish Tourney came roaring in. Much like in past years, the tournament filled its 60-team field a few weeks in advance. Local anglers were abound and out of area teams were sprinkled in amongst the crowd, as is the case on the 2nd weekend of every June. In what has turned out to be one of the finest communities events in the area, this years 7th Annual Savage Fire Department Catfish Tournament did not disappoint.

The rules stayed the same for 2010 in this all out “slot fish” extravaganza. Each team is only allowed to weigh-in fish between 12″ and 18″. These rare tournament rules provide an interesting twist and continually keeps the leader board very tight. On a typical year, the winning team hovers around 6 lbs. This year provided an unbelievable day of fishing for “slots”, as the top six teams all weighed in over 6.34 lbs. Much of the drama was saved for the top of the leader board, however, as local anglers, Chad Maher, Soda Maher, and Clay Brower took this years tournament championship with a limit of five cats weighing in at 7.410 lbs., the 2nd best weight in tournament history. Nipping at their heels, was the tournament veteran crew of Brenner Flaten, Tyler George, and Cade Flaten. Boasting the third best weight in tourney history, the crew weighed in at 7.345 lbs. The Mahers and Brower’s victory of 0.06 lbs. is by far the tightest the event has ever seen. Casey Hamburg took home the separate big fish pot with a muscular cat tipping the scales at 12.11 lbs.

The whole weekend was an overwhelming success. The Friday night calcutta was well attended once again ,as many of the locals came and bid on their favorite fishing teams and good times were had by all involved. Saturday got off on the right foot, as breakfast was cooked right in front of the fire hall in downtown Savage, as teams began to gather for a fun/competitive day on the water. Teams were released in two flights beginning at 7:00 a.m. following the rules meeting. The tournament took place until 3:30, when all of the teams conjugated on the river bottom to weigh in their respective catches. As weights were tallied and fish were returned safely to the water, the teams began to retreat to the Fire Hall once again. At this time, an incredible amount of door prizes were given away and the tournament and calcutta winners were announced to the crowd. A free will farm raised catfish feed concluded the festivities on Saturday Night. If you want a change of pace and enjoy fishing for the “little guys” make sure you mark your calendar for Saturday June 11th, 2011. 

June 05, 2010 by Montana Cats Staff

WOW! What an unbelievable night of fishing on the Mighty Milk River this past weekend! 80 teams kicked off the festivities in Glasgow Friday night with the social and calcutta of the fishing teams held at the Montana Bar. The city of Glasgow buzzed with anticipation throughout the entire day on Saturday, as teams could be seen almost anywhere in preparation for the big event.