Montana Catfish Association - News & Updates

February 28, 2010 by Pat Carter

August and September are prime time months for catfishing. If I could only fish for catfish two months out of the year it would definitely be August and September. It’s my favorite time of year to fish for them, but I’ll go anytime.

When someone asks me for advice on catching catfish, I usually don’t tell them about a favorite bait or a favorite spot, I talk to them about “Patterns”. Patterns are more important if you ask me because catfish are not always in the same place and don’t always prefer the same bait. You always hear bass fishermen talk about patterns but you never hear catfishermen talk about them. Those bass guys know what they’re talking about. Patterns are just as important in consistently catching catfish as they are in catching bass.

There are many indicators that can give you hints on what pattern to follow. I wouldn’t etch anything in stone though, because there is only one thing about fishing that I know for sure and that is there’s nothing for sure. There have been many times that I have stumbled onto a pattern and not fully understand why catfish are in a particular area or prefer a particular bait. But if I’m catching catfish I’m going with it.

First find them. If water is high, you might want to try shallow. If water is low, you might want to try deep. Are they holding near structure? Are they holding near the drop offs? If so, on the top side of the drop off or bottom side. There are many other variables to finding them also. Weather, time of year, time of day, water temperature, dirty water, clean water, and many others.

Next, bait. Catfishermen have more of a challenge when comes to bait than those bass guys do. Bass fishermen can have a tackle box full of what ever lure they may need. Different colors, sizes, crank baits, spinner baits, rubber worms, jigs, tubes, you name it. They have it right there ready to go at a moments notice. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have good bait when catfishing. Catfishermen need to have a live bait or at least a bait that was once alive. There is stink bait but I have found that stink bait works well for smaller catfish but not so much for larger ones. There’s shad, shrimp, frogs, chubs, gold eye, and many more. All are good baits but none are a catch all, all the time bait. Alot of times bait shops won’t have a certain bait I’m after, so I’ll have to go catch it myself. I like to take with me at least 2 or 3 different types of bait.

I bet almost everyone that would call themselves a catfisherman, could tell you a story about how they went fishing and they were catching catfish left and right using a certain bait or fishing in certain spot but were unable to repeat it the next day. Usually that’s because conditions have changed. If conditions have changed then you should too.

Patterns can be hard to nail down. Patterns can change throughout the day too. There have been times I have been out catfishing, when I was unable to catch anything, so I tried fishing an area or tried a certain bait that normally I would think would never work and have it pay off. So if your out catfishing and your not having any luck, make an adjustment. Try a different type of area or try a different bait. Maybe it’s the size of the bait. Maybe there finicky and want a small bait or maybe the bait isn’t large enough. Establish a pattern and you’ll put more catfish in the boat. I guarantee it.

July 31, 2009 by MT Cats Staff

East Grand Forks, MN 8/1/09- Catfish anglers from 11 different states converged on East Grand Forks, MN this past weekend to compete for the 22nd annual Cats Incredible title. The Cats Incredible has proven to be one of the premier Catfish tournaments in the nation, due in large part to the world class Channel Catfish waters of the Red River and the lasting friendships that have been fostered over the previous 21 years of the event. This two day event has 150 boats on just over a 35 mile stretch of river that puts tremendous pressure on the fishery and leads to volatile catfish behavior and an unpredictable leader board.

Intermittent rain, high winds and post-spawn fish behavior presented numerous challenges over the two day event. As if catching these monster Channels in adverse conditions isn’t difficult enough, an additional test the tournament presents is the “no culling” rule. Any fish that enters the live well must stay confined due to state regulations. Two fish over 24 inches and three under the limit are allowed to be weighed in each day. This makes for some difficult decisions during the early tournament hours on whether or not to keep a marginal fish.

Solving the Cats incredible puzzle in record fashion were anglers Troy & Zach Srnsky. The Warren, MN duo smashed a nearly 10 year old tournament record by 7.5 lbs., catching a two day total of 91.5 lbs. The Srnsky’s also landed the tourneys largest Cat which tipped the scales at just over 22 lbs. They were rewarded handsomely for their record basket, taking home the top prize of $4000, $1000 for largest catfish and the $500 Lund Boat (top team fishing out of a lund boat) award for a grand total of $5500! Former champion Larry Barrow and his son Joel put together two outstanding days on the water to claim the 2nd place trophy. Their 43 lb. Day two total was good enough to vault them from 6th place after day one.

Anglers Paul Cariveau & Mervyn Rud of East Grand Forks, MN used their local knowledge and 78.32 lbs to propel them to a third place finish. Two time champions Pat and Travis Carter were on top of their game once again. As one of the most successful teams in tournament history, the Carters were in third place after day one and within striking distance of the top trophy. They were able put together another solid performance on day 2 and finished in fourth place. The “Mr. Consistency” award (a Montana Cats fake award) goes to Marv & Shane Feltman. The local anglers finished in 33rd place. They have finished in the top 35 seven times and the top 15 four times.

If you have a love for catfish tournaments, then this is the event for you. Those interested in participating in the 2010 Cats Incredible, be sure to stay posted with the Grand Forks Chamber. The tournament entries are due in February and the participant lottery takes place in March.

Please enjoy the complete results from this past weekend!

July 24, 2009 by MT Cats Staff

Sioux City, IA 7/25/09 – Montana Cats field staff members, Brenner and Jason Flaten competed in the 6th Annual First Class Cat Attack in Sioux City, Iowa this past Saturday. The tournament was stationed out of the main boat ramp on the Missouri River in Sioux City, but tournament fisherman were allowed to fish the Missouri and any of its tributary waters as long as they could be reached by boat. All three catfish species, the Blue, Flathead, or Channel were legal targets.

The Cat Attack has truly become one of the premier catfish tournaments in the entire nation, boasting some of the finest catfish anglers from seven different states. The anglers reigned from Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wyoming, Missouri, Kansas, and South Dakota. It offers an impressive payout that can be hard to find when scouring the globe for great catfishing competition. The event is ran by successful catfish angler, Pat Carter, and is backed by his great sponsors, including their top-flight sponsor, the First Class Credit Union.

The tourney offered a guaranteed $5,000 payback in cash and prizes. When it exceeded 30 teams, every additional team added to the final payout. With a record 51 teams competing this year, and the First Class Credit Union generously pitching in a $1,000 Carter bounty, the total cash payout for this year’s event was an astounding $6,205.00!!

During the 2009 edition of the “Cat Attack”, there was no shortage of surprises either. No Blue Cats had been landed since the Inaugural event six years ago, while this year one big blue and another monster blue were hauled into the weigh-ins. More than twice as many Flatheads were caught this year than in any of the other previous five tournaments. Tournament limits, however, were hard to come by, as only two teams were able to land their limit of ten catfish.

When the dust finally settled, it was the duo of Dean Stroman and Bruce Stroman, both of Sioux City, Iowa taming their home waters and taking home the team title. It only took one fish, however, as they landed a beautiful 56.6 lb. Blue Cat during the early morning hours. It would ultimately hold up and they would be crowned the 2009 champions. The big bruiser would end up netting the anglers a total of $2,936.00!! Runner-up honors went to Keith Copenhaver of Sioux City and Chris Sharp of Merrill, Iowa with an impressive ten fish limit at 40.9 lbs. The duo showed their versatility in bringing in 6 Flatheads and 4 Channel Cats. Their biggest fish, the largest Flathead of the tourney, weighed in at 14.7 lbs.

A special thanks should go to Pat Carter for running this impressive event and to the First Class Credit Union for helping the tournament grow to all-time heights. Montana Cats field staff looks to return to Sioux City in future years.

July 11, 2009 by Montana Cats Staff

The Inaugural Monster Catfish Roundup is officially in the books! The weekend kicked off much like the other MT Cats Tour events, with a Friday night Calcutta held at the Ranger Bar in downtown Sidney. This year’s event was an instant success, as 23 teams set out on the river at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

June 19, 2009 by MT Cats Staff

Lovell, WY 6/20/09 – Much like the rest of the Montana Cats Tour events, the 2nd Annual Bighorn Catfish Tournament experienced growth in all areas from the previous year. Friends of Bighorn Lake once again ran this tourney in conjunction with the Montana Catfish Association, and experienced a rise from 12 teams at last years inaugural event to 17 this year. All seventeen teams fished out of boats on a sunny 90-degree day, however, teams had to deal with numerous obstacles on the water. Not only was the heat scolding for the second straight year, but they also had to fight the rapidly rising water. Big Horn Lake had risen 12 feet in the four days previous, causing water to creep into shoreline trees for the first time in many years. The debris on the entire waterway was out of control.

Fishing was no doubt affected by the combination of the high temperatures and rapidly rising water. Only four teams were able to crack the 10 lb. barrier and only two teams were able to land their limit of six fish. Despite the tough conditions, fisherman turned out a valiant effort and brought in their share of channel cats. Montana Cats Field Staff members, Brenner Flaten and Tyler George, used a run and gun attack to land their limit of 6 cats that weighed in at 19.48 lbs. to take home the title. Brenner would also land the big fish of the tournament, weighing in at 6.2 lbs. Tyler had this to say on the victory, “With the help of a jet boat this year, we were able to cover lots of water and experiment with fishing new structure and it paid off.” The combination of a tourney title and the big fish netted the duo a cash prize of nearly $500. Powell, Wyoming anglers, Eric Menning and Zach Brando turned in an impressive limit of six catfish tipping the scales at 14.76 lbs. and good enough for a runner-up finish. Team Nagel out of Columbus, Montana rounded out the top three with five cats at 13.76 lbs.

Every catfish that was caught was once again weighed, measured, and tagged by Wyoming Fish and Game. We are proud to report that only one fish failed to make it out alive, proving once again that anglers are doing an excellent job on the water maintaining their catch. Extremely hot days like this one, makes it even more pressing for the anglers to make sure their fish have fresh, circulating, and cooler water. FOBHL will once again run next year’s event on the 3rd weekend of June 2010, and they expect to have even more teams participating. The 2009 Montana Cats Tour will come to a close in Sidney, Montana with the Inaugural Monster Cat Roundup on the Yellowstone River Saturday, July 11th.