July 16, 2011 by Montana Cats Staff
Glasgow, MT 7/16/11 – What a weekend! In what can only be described as outstanding, the 12th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic weekend is officially in the books. 2011 was no ordinary year for the Classic. Due to a “100 year” flood on the mighty Milk because of record snowfall and an unseasonable amount of spring rain, the Cat Classic was rescheduled for the first time in tournament history. At the end of May the decision was made to move the event to July 16th, this would undoubtedly give the anglers a few curve balls to try and handle. In what is typically a classic pre-spawn event, this year’s edition was held smack dab in the middle of the spawning period for the native Channel Cat. There were plenty of questions to be asked. Will the fish be holding in the same areas? Can we expect the weights to be as high? How difficult will it be to keep my catch alive? It took a night of fishing on the sloppy banks of the Milk to find out, but I think we have some answers to those questions and much more.
In typical Cat Classic fashion, the social and calcutta of the fishing teams turned the Montana Bar on its side Friday night in downtown Glasgow. While adjusting to the record crowds from previous years calcutta’s, Front Street was closed off to all through traffic and roped off before the start of the auction. In the end, it paid off for the most productive calcutta in Montana Cats Circuit history. Brian Austin, with Austin Auctions, put on his typical highlight performance and kept the crowd entertained throughout all eighty teams. Fishing stories were told and tournament strategies were discussed until the early morning hours. Its hard not be overly excited and short on sleep after kicking off the weekend with the fellows anglers down at the Montana.
Saturday arrived with temperatures hovering in the nineties and the town a buzz for the night’s festivities. Teams began to gather at the meeting headquarters shortly after 4:00 p.m. and waited anxiously for the start of the rules meeting. As 5:00 p.m. approached, it was time to get down to business. Tournament Director, Brenner Flaten, spent ten minutes discussing the rules and regulations of the event as well as answering any of the anglers concerns. At 5:10 the first flight was released, the following three flights followed in one-minute increments. Having all the anglers on their way by a quarter after five was made a priority for this year and accomplished for the first time.
Not many could have predicted what was in store for the night. The eleven person event staff worked diligently throughout the night and was pleasantly surprised on how active the fish were. The spawn-post spawn transition did not seem to be having a negative effect on the numbers or the big fish bight. As it turned out, a record number of teams would weigh in fish and the fight to climb the leader board was as close as you will ever witness. Two teams set themselves apart from the field in dominating fashion. Co-tournament founder, Luke Morehouse, and his partner Calvin Kemmis took down the field with the second biggest basket in Cat Classic history. Their 36.19 lb. weight was needed to eclipse a former champion squad, Don Resseguie and Kevin Durell. The former champions came up just short of their second title at 33.48 lbs. Rounding out the top three was the father-son duo of Dan and Jim Brandt. The Brandt’s used Jim’s Jumbo Whisker Award winning catfish to jump up the leader board. The big cat tipped the scales at 10.98 lbs. and is the second biggest catfish in tournament history. Two-time defending champions, Jerry and Nate Molstad, managed a respectable tenth place finish.
Luke and Cal had a night to remember and it showed with their emotion on the stage at Saturday night’s famous midnight weigh-ins. As the scale crept past thirty-three pounds it was time to celebrate. An estimated crowd of five hundred people watched as they jumped in jubilation. The championship is extra special for the anglers, as they have both have a lengthy history in the Classic, and now the wait is finally over. The run to the title did not come without some adversity. The anglers lost what they felt was a “tournament clinching fish” just two hours into the night and just when they had recovered, Cal lost one of his rods on a fish as it went barreling into the Milk River. Regrouping, the duo fished the rest of the event with three lines in the water.
For most it’s a long wait until next years Cat Classic. Lucky for us, we only have to wait 10 1/2 months this time around. The 13th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic will return to its customary time slot on June 2nd, 2012. Sign ups begin immediately, as entry forms can be downloaded and printed from the website. The Catfish Classic is truly “one-of-a-kind”. Do yourself a favor and pencil in the Classic on the calendar for next year you will not regret it. Please enjoy the pictures, podcast interviews, and complete final results from this past weekend’s event below.
Pictures for this event can be found here.
Luke Morehouse and Calvin Kemmis (Tournament Champions)
Jerry Molstad and Nate Molstad (10th Place)
Myles Kittleson and Brady Burgess (46th Place)
Larry Green and Dick Keller (Two-time Yellowstone Challenge Champion)
Levi Sugg and Josh Keller (23rd Place)
Mitch McIntyre (Former Champion)
Jory Casterline and Matt Smith (5th Place)
Norm Braaten and Dustin Braaten (16th Place)
Brady Flaten and Jason Molstad (21st Place)
Storm Jackson and Steve Wellendorf (51st Place)
Luke Morehouse (12th Annual Cat Classic Champion)
CJ Kemmis (4th Place)
Jory Casterline (5th Place)
Mitch McIntyre (38th Place)
| Jim Brandt | 10.98 lbs. | Jumbo Whiskers Award |
| Luke Morehouse | 10.38 lbs. | Big Whiskers Award |
| 1. | Luke Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. – Calvin Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. | 36.19 lbs. |
| 2. | Don Resseguie, Great Falls, MT. – Kevin Durell, Glasgow, MT. | 33.48 lbs. |
| 3. | Dan Brandt, Glasgow, MT. – Jim Brandt, Glasgow, MT. | 23.19 lbs. |
| 4. | Colin Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. – CJ Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. | 19.71 lbs. |
| 5. | Matt Smith, Billings, MT. – Jory Casterline, Glasgow, MT. | 18.76 lbs. |
| 6. | Steve Harris, Sidney, MT. – Chad Nelson, Sidney, MT. | 18.66 lbs. |
| 7. | Todd Young, Glasgow, MT. – Matt Tribby, Glasgow, MT. | 18.17 lbs. |
| 8. | Ben Unterscher, Glasgow, MT. – Randy Elletson, Glasgow, MT. | 18.05 lbs. |
| 9. | Larry Hockholter, Glasgow, MT. – Seth Ingram, Glasgow, MT. | 17.85 lbs. |
| 10. | Nate Molstad, Havre, MT. – Jerry Molstad, Glasgow, MT. | 17.76 lbs. |
| 11. | Joe Shipp, Glasgow, MT. – Jacob Knaff, Glasgow, MT. | 17.63 lbs. |
| 12. | Brady Mueller, Sidney, MT. – Brandon Mueller, Sidney, MT. | 17.61 lbs. |
| 13. | Ross Kastet, Glasgow, MT. – Casey Riggin, Glasgow, MT. | 17.12 lbs. |
| 14. | Darin Eschenbacher, Savage, MT. – Wayne Eschenbacher, Savage, MT. | 17.00 lbs. |
| 15. | Aimee Ost, Billings, MT. – Timm Canen, Glasgow, MT. | 16.98 lbs. |
| 16. | Norm Braaten, Fort Peck, MT. – Dustin Braaten, Fort Peck, MT. | 16.46 lbs. |
| 17. | Chad Dawson, Glasgow, MT. – Matt Poole, Glasgow, MT. | 16.45 lbs. |
| 18. | Jim Kelly, Three Forks, MT. – Chuck Buxbaum, Sidney, MT. | 16.10 lbs. |
| 19. | John Britzman, Glasgow, MT. – BJ Kemp, Glasgow, MT. | 15.97 lbs. |
| 20. | Milton Berglee, Wolf Point, MT. – David Pederson, Wolf Point, MT. | 15.94 lbs. |
| 21. | Brady Flaten, Glasgow, MT. – Jason Molstad, Glasgow, MT. | 15.25 lbs. |
| 22. | Bill Durell, Nashua, MT. – Aaron Durell, Glasgow, MT. | 15.09 lbs. |
| 23. | Josh Keller, Havre, MT. – Levi Sugg, Glasgow, MT. | 14.60 lbs. |
| 24. | DJ Elletson, Glasgow, MT. – Trevor Waarvik, Glasgow, MT. | 14.47 lbs. |
| 25. | Ryan Feezell, Nashua, MT. – Tyler Partridge, Glasgow, MT. | 14.46 lbs. |
| Chris Kolstad, Glasgow, MT. – Darryl Kolstad, Glasgow, MT. | 14.46 lbs. | |
| 27. | Curt Shipman, Glasgow, MT. – Bob Harrington, Glasgow, MT. | 14.45 lbs. |
| 28. | Ryan Bergtoll, Glasgow, MT. – Jonathan Braaten, Glasgow, MT. | 14.39 lbs. |
| 29. | Phil Leck, Ashton, ID. – Ryan Trustem, Powell, WY. | 14.22 lbs. |
| 30. | Dustin Bietz, Glasgow, MT. – Ricci Olson, Glasgow, MT. | 13.76 lbs. |
| 31. | Jake Aune, Glasgow, MT. – Shawn Wersal, Glasgow, MT. | 13.57 lbs. |
| 32. | Mike Moran, Billings, MT. – Scott Swanson, Billings, MT. | 13.38 lbs. |
| 33. | Kevin McElvaney, Dickinson, ND. – Cory Johnston, Glasgow, MT. | 13.30 lbs. |
| 34. | Tyler Fox, Billings, MT. – Seth Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. | 13.06 lbs. |
| 35. | Wayne Shipp, Glasgow, MT. – Erika Shipp, Glasgow, MT. | 12.78 lbs. |
| 36. | Spencer Marsh, Glasgow, MT. – Luke Tolzien, Glasgow, MT. | 12.68 lbs. |
| 37. | Trevor Grueb, Rapid City, SD. – Ben Haskvitz, Gillette, WY. | 12.40 lbs. |
| 38. | Mitch McIntyre, Glasgow, MT. – Jim McIntyre, Glasgow, MT. | 11.81 lbs. |
| 39. | Scott Swanson, Laurel, MT. – Bobby Wise, Billings, MT. | 11.64 lbs. |
| 40. | Stacy Barclay, Williston, ND. – Ashley Harris, Sidney, MT. | 11.50 lbs. |
| 41. | Justin Hagen, Nashua, MT. – Kori Meiers, Glasgow, MT. | 11.17 lbs. |
| 42. | Kaitlin Cusker, Nashua, MT. – J.R. Cusker, Nashua, MT. | 10.65 lbs. |
| 43. | Vance Anderson, Glasgow, MT. – Bo Boreson, Glasgow, MT. | 10.27 lbs. |
| 44. | Tracy Krause, Glasgow, MT. – Shelby Fossum, Glasgow, MT. | 9.91 lbs. |
| 45. | Lindsey Peterson, Fort Peck, MT. – Lacey Flaten, Glasgow, MT. | 9.41 lbs. |
| 46. | Brady Burgess, Gillette, WY. – Myles Kittleson, Glasgow, MT. | 9.04 lbs. |
| 47. | Nathan Wiens, Great Falls, MT. – Tyrel Brandt, Glasgow, MT. | 8.89 lbs. |
| 48. | Jake Strommen, Vandalia, MT. – Wayne Linder, Glasgow, MT. | 8.49 lbs. |
| 49. | Paul Siefert, Glasgow, MT. – Jodie Siefert, Glasgow, MT. | 8.11 lbs. |
| 50. | Jared Kuka, Glasgow, MT. – Katie Kuka, Glasgow, MT. | 6.93 lbs. |
| 51. | Storm Jackson, Glasgow, MT. – Steve Wellendorf, Glasgow, MT. | 6.61 lbs. |
| 52. | Thad Ryan, Hinsdale, MT. – Colton Hill, Glasgow, MT. | 6.11 lbs. |
| 53. | Reid Coldwell, Glasgow, MT. – Cache Younkin, Glasgow, MT. | 6.08 lbs. |
| 54. | Pat Reynolds, Savage, MT. – Justin Schmierer, Savage, MT. | 5.91 lbs. |
| 55. | Tanner Fischer, Alexandria, SD. – Luke Zeiger, Glasgow, MT. | 5.63 lbs. |
| 56. | Bryon Armour, Lewistown, MT. – Hooper Armour, Lewistown, MT. | 5.48 lbs. |
| 57. | Carmen Corey, Nashua, MT. – Tom James, Glasgow, MT. | 5.43 lbs. |
| 58. | Tara Harrington Geer, Glasgow, MT. – Allan Harrington, Glasgow, MT. | 5.04 lbs. |
| 59. | David Wickowski, Glasgow, MT. – Scott Cook, Glasgow, MT. | 4.82 lbs. |
| 60. | Bill Murch, Glasgow, MT. – Al Murch, Glasgow, MT. | 4.58 lbs. |
| 61. | Mark Wagoner, Glasgow, MT. – Wagoner, Glasgow, MT. | 3.45 lbs. |
| 62. | Nick Pentas, Billings, MT. – Shawn Bergstrom, Nashua, MT. | 3.29 lbs. |
| 63. | Justin Nielson, Chinook, MT. – Eric Miller, Nashua, MT. | 0.72 lbs. |
| 64. | Larry Green, Billings, MT. – Dick Keller, Worden, MT. | 0.40 lbs. |
| 65. | Louie Monson, Glasgow, MT. – Randy Cumber, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. |
| Chad Mueller, Sidney, MT. – Kyle Mueller, Sidney, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Briana Page, Glasgow, MT. – Ashley Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Adie Simpson, Saco, MT. – Dewayne McClintock, Saco, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Mark Combs, Glasgow, MT. – Seth Combs, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Matt Reynolds, Sidney, MT. – Lance Kuylen, Sidney, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Michael Meiers, Glasgow, MT. – Jacob Meiers, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Logan Hough, Opheim, MT. – Adam Marynik, Opheim, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Kim Tribby, Nashua, MT. – Cody Tribby, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Marty Olsen, Glasgow, MT. – Michelle Tribby, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Chris Pfeifer, Fort Peck, MT. – Dustin Peterson, Fort Peck, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Will Lauckner, Nashua, MT. – Willy Lauckner, Nashua, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Braden Hallock, Glasgow, MT. – Tucker Holstein, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| Brent McRae, Jordan, MT. – Charles McRae, Jordan, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| John McRae, Jordan, MT. – Malcolm McRae, Jordan, MT. | 0 lb. | |
| 80. | Ken Norgaard, Poplar, MT. – Morgan Norgaard, Poplar, MT. | DQ – BANNED |
Posted in: Milk River Catfish Classic
