Montana Catfish Association - News & Updates

July 18, 2020 by Montana Cats Staff

7/18/20 - Sidney, MT. - They've done it again!  Back in 2018, KaCee McPherson and Nicole Peterson both of Savage, MT., became the 1st All-Female Champions in Montana Cats history when they took down a field of 60 teams at the 10th Annual Monster Cat Roundup.  Last weekend, at the 12th Annual Monster Cat Roundup in Sidney, the ladies put an even more dominant performance together.  On the back of the largest Channel Cat ever weighed in during the 21-year history of MT Cats Circuit events; KaCeee and Nicole weighed in a whopping 31.75 lbs., besting a field of 57 teams by just under 2 lbs.  Making it even more unbelievable, the anglers only weighed in 4 fish after accidentally culling out a 5th fish near 6 lbs. The mistake occurred during a hectic last 20 minutes of the event.  

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. 

May 09, 2020 by Montana Cats Staff

5/9/20 (Huntley, MT) – The 2020 Montana Cats tourney season kicked off this past weekend with the 14th Annual Yellowstone Challenge in Huntley.  This year provided a welcome break from the turbulent river conditions present the past couple years.  51 jet boats entered and 41 teams weighed fish.  After the dust settled, an impressive 14 teams finished with a basket over 20 lbs. (over a 5 lb. average).  

In the end, the leaderboard was littered with tourney veterans.  Last year’s Milk River Catfish Classic champion Steve Harris partnered with 2 time Yellowstone Challenge champion Nick Fortier.  Their 24.15lb basket was good enough for fifth place.  Former Challenge champion Rod Seder and his brother Rob claimed 4th place with 25.97 lbs.  That marks the ninth time Rod has placed in the top 15 in the Yellowstone Challenge.  

August 17, 2019 by Montana Cats Staff

8/17/2019 (Williston, ND) – Since 2011, the Missouri Catfish Clash has given local anglers a chance to consistently battle with BIG Channel Cats.  It is no longer a secret.  Tournament boundaries stretch from the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri River's in far western North Dakota and head east to the western reaches of Lake Sakakawea. offer fisherman a chance at a trophy nearly every time their baits hit the water.  It's a given every single year for the champion team to have a basket with over a 7+ lb. average and it's no surprise that the event is one of the most popular on tour.

This year the event had 53 boats, up 13 from 2018, as anglers from Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin battled on a cool, wet unseasonable day.  Many of the tournament fisherman were on the water pre-fishing on Friday and enjoyed sunny skies and upper 80 degree temperatures.  Saturday featured a high in the low 60's with rain sporadic throughout tournament hours.    

July 20, 2019 by Montana Cats Staff

7/20/2019 (Sidney, MT) – With near perfect weather and stable to slightly dropping water in the forecast, anglers could only hope that the fish would cooperate for the 11th Annual Monster Cat Roundup in Sidney this past Saturday.  Fisherman knew it would still prove to be difficult, however.  As is customary at the Roundup, Channel Catfish were in the middle to nearing the end of their spawn and water temperatures were hovering in the upper 70's.  This traditionally causes fish to become a bit tight-lipped and makes the anglers take extra precaution with each of their individual catches.  A good working live-well aerator on the boat or in a large cooler becomes essential to every team.  Anglers also introduce fresh water at every stop and can be seen introducing ice and frozen water bottles to their water storage system throughout the day.  All of this with the intent of weighing in five healthy fish at the end of the day and returning them all safely to the water at the conclusion of weigh-ins.