August 17, 2024 by Montana Cats Staff
8/17/24 Williston, ND - For the second consecutive Montana Cats circuit event we had newcomers breaking through for a tourney championship! This time it was brothers; Kyle and Daniel Brown, both of Billings, MT. who showed up and showed out. The Brown's were fishing the "Williston section" for the first time in their lives and were not even able to get their planned day of pre-fishing in on Friday. Due to boat problems on Friday morning, the anglers had to spend the whole day tracking down tools/parts in Williston and getting their boat ready in time for tournament day. This did not deter the dedicated anglers and they still managed to put together the best day out of an entire 43 boat field.
For a second consecutive year; the weights were down across the board at the Clash. After 12 years of the winning weight ranging from 30 to 45 lbs., mid to upper 20's would get the job done on back to back years in Williston. Kyle and Dan brought an impressive 29.93 lbs. to the scales on a day where big fish were certainly tough to come by. They were able to do just enough to nip the runner-up squad on their home waters. Matthew Degenstein and Lettia Hursh, both of Williston, came up just short of a tournament title, with a great weight of 29.60 lbs. This is Matt's 2nd career runner-up finish at the Clash. He also grabbed silver back at the Inaugural event in 2011.
3rd Place went to another local duo; Chase Rehak and Darrin Hanson, both of Williston. Chase and Darrin have been fishing the Clash every single year and this ties their best finish to date! 27.87 lbs. is a heck of a day on the water for the tourney veterans. They were also 3rd at the Inaugural event in 2011. 4th place was a father-daughter team out of Glendive, MT; Steve and Danielle Linder. The Linder's had a great season on circuit as they were also coming off an impressive 4th Place finish at the Roundup in Sidney last month. Their ending weight was 27.13 lbs. Closing out the top five was Rod Seder, Billings, MT. and Tim Linder, Glendive, MT. Tim would come up just short of his brother Steve and family bragging rights, but it was still a very good day on the water. They ended up putting 26.24 lbs. in the boat which ultimately secured a 12th career Top 5 finish in Montana Cats events for Seder.
The Big Fish award went to Billings, MT angler; Rochelle Howie. Her big catch tipped the scales at 9.01 lbs. Fellow Billings angler, Macy Johnson landed the 2nd biggest fish of the day at 8.45 lbs. Despite big fish being at a preimum on tournament day, the catch rate remained high. Ultimately, only two teams did not weigh-in fish.
In what has almost become customary at the culiminating event; this year's Montana Cats B'n'M Fishing Angler of the Year would come down to the wire! Remarkably, eleven different anglers remained mathematically alive for the tour championship heading into the weekend. But in the end it was two legends of the Circuit who would share the coveted crown. Bobby and Robert Wise, both of Billings, MT., did just enough to hold off a hard-charging Steve Harris Sr., Sidney. MT. It is a 2nd career Angler of the Year for the "Wise Guys". This year they would score 57 points through the first three stops on tour and then were able to hold serve through the Clash and remain at the top of the final AOY standings. Congratulations to two of the most respected gentleman in the Montana Cats organization.
This officially brings the 2024 season to a close and it was another memorable one. Start making those plans now to join us in 2025 as Montana Cats is showing no signs of slowing down! Next season we will begin with the 19th Annual Yellowstone Challenge scheduled for May 10th, 2025 in Huntley, Montana. The season opener has been filling weeks in advance the last couple of years, so you will not want to wait. Registration officially opens on January 1st. Until next year, happy cattin'!
Final Results 14th Annual Missouri River Catfish Clash HERE
Posted in: Missouri River Catfish Clash
