Molstad’s WIN one for the Thumb

June 03, 2017 by Montana Cats Staff

6/3/17- Glasgow, MT – It was supposed to be difficult. It was supposed to give anglers problems. Many felt it might even path the way for some teams to win their first ever Catfish Classic. None of it proved true!

It had been very dry and unseasonably warm this spring leading up to the event and for the first time in a decade, there were poor stream flows and low water conditions throughout the Milk River for the 18th Annual Catfish Classic. Surprising many fisherman, however, the fish were still extremely active. With no precipitation in the forecast and temperatures hovering near the upper 80’s the anglers were tested early and often this year. Teams met the challenge at every turn from boundary to boundary as a RECORD 76 teams weighed in fish. This breaks last year’s circuit record of 74 teams hitting the scales.

Nate Molstad, Havre, MT., and Jerry Molstad, Glasgow, MT., proved too much for the 80-team field once again, winning the Classic for a record 5th time! The dynamic duo charged to the top of the leaderboard with a 5-fish limit of 40.16 lbs. Their winning weight is the second heaviest in tournament history, just short of their own record of 40.95 in 2010. The Molstad’s were aided in victory when Nate landed an 11.15 lb. cat early on in the competition. It was the 2nd biggest cat of the evening and earned them Big Whiskers honors. The long time father-son connection did just enough to edge another veteran Cat Classic squad. Chad Dawson, Dickinson, ND., and Brady Burgess, Glasgow, MT. pulled fish from three entirely different sections of river and made a serious push for their second championship. At the end of the night, they came up just short with a basket of 39.52 lbs. Chad stated, “I’ve never been so exhausted after a tournament.” Rounding out the top three was Brodie Boreson and Lindsey Boreson, of Hinsdale, MT. with 30.01 lbs. In only their second appearance in the Classic, the husband and wife combo found a way to put together a limit of five fish that they will remember for years to come.

Brodie’s younger brother Bo provided a little fireworks of his own. Bo Boreson of Cayuga, Indiana returned home this weekend for some time with his old friend Vance Anderson and they focused their efforts on a stretch of water he is very familiar with. The two were rewarded with a mammoth 13.87 lb. catfish. It is the largest ever in the 18-year history of the Cat Classic and the 2nd largest in Montana Cats Circuit history. Bo will now head back East with a 5th place team finish, the Jumbo Whiskers Award, and a record that no one can take away from him for the foreseeable future. Aside from Boreson’s and Molstad’s big fish, there were two more cats caught over ten pounds on the evening. It is only the third time in 18 years that there have been at least four cats of 10+ lbs. caught during the event. Simply outstanding! 28 teams brought at least 20 lbs. to weigh-ins, easily another Cat Classic record. It was an outstanding night in the Milk River Valley and were happy to see so many familiar faces.

For the 2nd year in a row, KLTZ/KLAN provided LIVE coverage throughout the evening on the radio waves. Nemont TV returned for a third straight Cat Classic and will be providing replay tournament footage for the next 12-months on local television. The social media was also in for a treat as the Montana Catfish Association provided the entire weigh-ins via “Facebook LIVE” for the very first time. We hope you all enjoyed the footage. It is now archived and can be viewed on the Milk River Catfish Classic Facebook page or on the Montana Catfish Association Facebook Group Page.

The Cat Classic crew would like to take this time to thank the continued support of all our sponsors. A big shout out to Farm Equipment Sales, Nemont Beverage/Busch Light, Montana Bar, Newton Motors, D&G Sports and Western, Ag Land Co-Op in Glasgow, Shelly George w/ Thrivent Financial, Cat River Anchors, BnM Poles, RS Jet Boat Anchors, Whisker Seeker Tackle, Hi-Line Sportsmen, Thompson and Sons, and Scottie Nation Apparel.

We look forward to seeing you at the third leg of the Montana Cats Circuit, the Monster Cat Roundup in Sidney on Sat. July 15th. Please enjoy the final results and pictures from this past weekend below.

pictures

Pictures for this event can be found here.

Big Fish

Complete Results

Posted in: Milk River Catfish Classic