The Molstad’s Make It #4

June 01, 2013 by Montana Cats Staff

6/1/13 Glasgow, MT – Sticking to the typical theme of unpredictability, the Cat Classic was back to its old tricks again this past weekend. Seemingly, every year, the anglers find themselves wrestling with rapidly rising waters or steadily plummeting conditions while also keeping an eye on the ever-changing weather conditions throughout the tournament week. This year was all of the above. Flows were very low early in the week before three to four inches of rainfall dumped into the milk river drainage between Tuesday and Friday afternoon. The massive rainfalls caused a drastic change in river conditions, something that is becoming all too familiar to the tournament veterans. Under these circumstances, much of the anglers pre-fishing efforts went by the wayside. Thankfully, it was nothing new to this incredibly stacked field and they adapted to the conditions and once again put on a show for the community of Glasgow.

The most star-studded lineup in Montana Cats Circuit history, featuring 34 catfish tournament championships throughout the region, was topped by a familiar duo. Nate Molstad, of Havre, MT, and Jerry Molstad, of Glasgow, took the prestigious traveling cup for a record fourth time in a seven-year span. Fishing above Vandalia Dam, the team stayed aggressive while not completely changing location either. Sitting at around thirteen pounds with only two fish with three hours to go, the accomplished anglers kept their confidence and stuck with their tournament game plan. Simply put, it paid off! Nate and Jerry were able to add to their basket right up until it was time to head to weigh-ins. When it was all said and done, they placed 37.29 lbs. on the scale. It was good enough to knock off the defending champions by less than two pounds. The young guns didn’t go down easy, as Gage Gordon, of Belgrade, MT, and McKenzie Reid, of Bozeman, MT. made a valiant effort to try and retain their crown. They battled throughout the entire tournament just to land their limit of five cats and it was almost enough, coming up with runner-up honors at 35.44 lbs. The rest of the top five was also stacked with previous Cat Classic championship teams. Coming in third place with 31.39 lbs., was the 2011 championship squad of Luke Morehouse and Calvin Kemmis, both of Glasgow. It is the third consecutive top seven finish for this crew and their third year in a row with over 29 lbs. of catfish. In fourth place, local anglers Brady Flaten and Jason Molstad assumed the position. This is the ninth top four finish for the 2000 Catfish Classic Champions. An impressive resume indeed. Finally, in fifth place was Don Resseguie, of Great Falls, MT, and Kevin Durell, of Glasgow. The fifth place finish gives them their sixth top seven finish in the last eight years, proving once again the Milk Catfish Classic is all about consistency.

This years Jumbo Whiskers Award was won by Jason Maynard, of Poplar, MT., The 11.56 lb. beast was caught just minutes into the tourney and it helped springboard Jason and his teammate Scott Swanson, of Billings, MT, into 6th place overall despite only weighing in four catfish on the night. The Big Whiskers Award, given to the second biggest catfish caught in the Classic, was awarded to MacKenzie Reid, with his 11.39 lb. Milk River trophy. Fishing proved to be very good throughout the entire boundaries despite the rapidly rising water conditions. The proof was in the top ten, as five of those teams fished above Vandalia Dam and five of them fished below the dam. So the debate rolls on. What will your team choose to do in 2014? Above or below…that is the question.

Without question, attendance records were broken on both nights. The Cat Classic calcutta and social at the Montana Bar on Friday night is an all-around outstanding time, and this year was no different. Over five hundred people showed up for Friday night and just as many showed on Saturday for the famous midnight weigh-ins in downtown Glasgow. The Montana Catfish Association would like to thank the community for their outstanding support and helping make this event into one that is talked about throughout the region. Our organization looks forward to even more growth in different areas of this event into the future. The 15th version of the Cat Classic will be just as exciting as the rest; you won’t want to miss out. Six teams have already entered the field by signing up over the weekend. The 2013 Montana Cats Circuit is now half done as we head into the Monster Cat Roundup. The Roundup will be held in Sidney on July 13th on the beautiful Yellowstone River. Sign up now before its too late.

pictures

Pictures for this event can be found here.

big fish

complete results

Posted in: Milk River Catfish Classic