June 01, 2012 by Montana Cats Staff
Glasgow, MT 6/2/12 – In perhaps the greatest weekend in Montana Cats Circuit history, two young anglers proved the future of Montana catfishing is in good hands. The 13th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic events kicked off on Friday night on Glasgow’s famous front street with the annual catfishing social and calcutta of the fishing teams. Hundreds of people once again filled up the Montana Bar and lined Front Street to bid on their favorite anglers and tell some fishing stories. Friday night’s festivities were stepped up a notch with this year’s addition of a community street dance on Front Street immediately following the calcutta auction. Austin Sound, of Glasgow, provided the DJ music entertainment until the early morning hours on Saturday. As anglers filtered home throughout the night, anticipation was heavy for Saturday night’s showdown.
This years version of the Classic did not disappoint and its one that won’t soon be forgotten. Never before have so many records been broken, many of which, will be hard pressed to ever be topped. The all-time Catfish Classic record went down as well as the Montana Cats Circuit record for largest basket of fish ever weighed. Both the Cat Classic and Montana Cats Circuit big fish records would also be broken. Gage Gordon, of Belgrade, MT, and Mckenzie Reid, of Bozeman, MT, also became the youngest duo to ever win a Montana Cats Circuit event at 15 and 16 years old respectively. And lastly, they also broke the largest margin of victory in a Montana Cats event by smashing the field of veteran anglers by over 11 1/2 lbs. Gage and Mckenzie also became the first non-native team to the Glasgow surrounding area to win the competition in its thirteen years. THIS PERFORMANCE AND SUBSEQUENT TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP WAS LATER WIPED FROM THE RECORD BOOKS BY A LIFETIME BAN!
The impressive young team used cut sucker and targeted cats near deep water to help them land the record catch of 51.60 lbs. Although they were only able to land seven cats on the evening, one of them was a fish that will live in Montana Catfishing lore. Gage put a 17.64 lb. pig in the boat at about 10 p.m. and the moment of realization began to set in immediately. The duo knew they had an unbelievable basket of fish and it was time to start concentrating on keeping them in good condition and getting back to check-in with plenty of time to spare. Fishing the Milk for the first time in their lives in the days leading up to the tournament, the team didn’t quite realize the rarity of their total catch or the monster fish. After seeing the reaction of the more than three hundred people at the famous midnight weigh-ins it is now safe to say they have a better idea. When asked on stage about how it feels to win the Cat Classic and put a record weight on the scales, they both responded by saying, “dumbfounded”. ONCE AGAIN, THIS PERFORMANCE AND SUBSEQUENT TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP WAS LATER WIPED FROM THE RECORD BOOKS BY A LIFETIME BAN!
Three-time Cat Classic champions, Jerry Molstad, of Glasgow, and Nate Molstad, of Havre took runner-up honors with the third best weight in tournament history at just under 40 lbs. With the second place finish, Jerry now has eight top three finishes in the Classic and Nate has six. Another consistent force in the Classic came in 3rd place. Two-time Cat Classic Champion Jason Flaten, of Gillette, WY. and Tyler George, of Sheridan, WY. used a run and gun approach to slap a basket on the scales that pushed 35 lbs. The 3rd place is Jason’s fifth top four finish in The Classic. Paul and Gage Siefert, of Glasgow, came in fourth place and were aided by the second biggest cat ever caught in the Classic, a 12.51 lb. trophy. This was Paul’s second top five finish in three years. Rounding out the top five was the father-son duo of CJ and Colin Kemmis, both of Glasgow. This team is no stranger to the leader board as it’s their fourth top-five finish in the past six years.
Coming into the year, the Classic had only seen five weights break the thirty-pound mark. That number is now eleven as the top six all finished over the magical thirty-pound plateau. The most twenty pound baskets in one Classic was ten, just two years ago. That record was smashed this year, as an incredible twenty teams brought twenty pound baskets to the scales. In 2010, there were five 10 lb. cats brought to the scales, which was easily the most we had ever seen up to that point. This year was hard to imagine for most, as we had over ten cats tipping the scales at over 10 lbs. at this year’s weigh-ins. Those are just three more records that might stand for years to come. The hundreds of people who show up to witness the famous midnight weigh-ins every single year, never seem to leave disappointed. The age-old question, should I fish above or below Vandalia Dam this year? It always seems to be close to an even split. This year proved interesting as the top five teams all fished above the Dam, but eleven of the top twenty finishers fished below.
A special thank you goes out to our annual number one sponsor, Nemont Beverage Corporation and Busch Light. Also a thank you to the following businesses who help make the Classic a top flight event; Farm Equipment Sales, All-Awards (Lewistown, MT), Montana Bar, D&G Sports & Western, Reynolds Market, Scottie Nation Apparel, Thompson and Sons, Newton Motors, Markle’s Hardware, Shelly George Photography, Glasgow Flower & Gift, BS Buzz, Austin Sound/Auctions, and the City of Glasgow. Start your plans now to be a part of what everyone is talking about. The 14th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic will be returning to the Glasgow area with a social, calcutta, and a live band street dance on Friday May 31st, 2013 and the night-time tourney will get kicked off at 5:00 p.m. Saturday June 1st, 2013. Signups will begin immediately at www.montanacats.com. The Montana Cats Circuit now heads to Sidney on July 14th for the 4th Annual Monster Cat Roundup. We hope to see you all there!
Pictures for this event can be found here.
CJ Kemmis and Colin Kemmis (5th Place)
Todd Young and Matt Tribby (14th Place)
Gage Gordon and Mckenzie Reid (Tournament Champions)
Bobby Wise and Scott Swanson
Chad Dawson and Cade Flaten (15th Place)
Spencer Marsh and Luke Tolzien (37th Place)
Gage Gordon and Mckenzie Reid (NEW Tournament Record)
| VACATED | 17.64 lbs. | Jumbo Whiskers Award |
| Paul Siefert | 12.51 lbs. | Big Whiskers Award |
| VACATED | 11.01 lbs. | Notable |
| CJ Kemmis – Colin Kemmis | 10.68 lbs. | Notable |
| Nate Molstad – Jerry Molstad | 10.63 lbs. | Notable |
| Brian Mix – Kelvin Morehouse | 10.27 lbs. | Notable |
| James Kelly – Charles Buxbaum | 10.08 lbs. | Notable |
| 1. | VACATED | 51.60 lbs. |
| 2. | Nate Molstad, Havre, MT. – Jerry Molstad, Glasgow, MT. | 39.78 lbs. |
| 3. | Jason Flaten, Gillette, WY. – Tyler George, Sheridan, WY. | 34.03 lbs. |
| 4. | Paul Siefert, Glasgow, MT. – Gage Siefert, Glasgow, MT. | 33.97 lbs. |
| 5. | Colin Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. – CJ Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. | 32.97 lbs. |
| 6. | Don Resseguie, Great Falls, MT. – Kevin Durell, Glasgow, MT. | 30.18 lbs. |
| 7. | Zach Miller, Fort Peck, MT. – Shawn Hopstad, Glasgow, MT. | 29.54 lbs. |
| 8. | Luke Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. – Calvin Kemmis, Glasgow, MT. | 29.13 lbs. |
| 9. | Matt Poole, Glasgow, MT. – Emilee Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. | 26.34 lbs. |
| 10. | Tyrel Brandt, Glasgow, MT. – Nick Knight, Glasgow, MT. | 25.94 lbs. |
| 11. | Ryan George, Missoula, MT. – Dave George, Glasgow, MT. | 25.31 lbs. |
| 12. | John Britzman, Glasgow, MT. – BJ Kemp, Glasgow, MT. | 24.84 lbs. |
| 13. | Brian Mix, Glasgow, MT. – Kelvin Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. | 24.63 lbs. |
| 14. | Todd Young, Glasgow, MT. – Matt Tribby, Glasgow, MT. | 24.19 lbs. |
| 15. | Chad Dawson, Dickinson, ND. – Cade Flaten, Glasgow, MT. | 23.76 lbs. |
| 16. | Ryan Feezell, Glasgow, MT. – Tyler Partridge, Glasgow, MT. | 22.26 lbs. |
| 17. | Storm Jackson, Glasgow, MT. – Casey Riggin, Glasgow, MT. | 21.92 lbs. |
| 18. | Adam Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. – Kirk Boyer, Glasgow, MT. | 20.70 lbs. |
| 19. | Larry Hockholter, Glasgow, MT. – Seth Ingram, Glasgow, MT. | 20.52 lbs. |
| 20. | Alan Harrington, Glasgow, MT. – Tara Harrington, Glasgow, MT. | 20.06 lbs. |
| 21. | Mitch McIntyre, Glasgow, MT. – Jim McIntyre, Glasgow, MT. | 19.98 lbs. |
| 22. | James Kelly, Three Forks, MT. – Charles Buxbaum, Sidney, MT. | 19.85 lbs. |
| 23. | Shade Stiles, Malta, MT. – Willy Lauckner, Nashua, MT. | 19.52 lbs. |
| 24. | Jon George, Billings, MT. – Skyler Blaylock, Billings, MT. | 19.27 lbs. |
| 25. | Kyle Watson, Dickinson, ND. – Colton Hill, Glasgow, MT. | 17.73 lbs. |
| 26. | Matt Smith, Billings, MT. – Jory Casterline, Glasgow, MT. | 16.44 lbs. |
| 27. | Shannon Albert, Hardin, MT. – Rodney Hudyma, Glasgow, MT. | 15.99 lbs. |
| 28. | Brady Flaten, Glasgow, MT. – Jason Molstad, Glasgow, MT. | 15.78 lbs. |
| 29. | Travis Doke, Billings, MT. – Jessica Doke, Billings, MT. | 15.29 lbs. |
| 30. | JD Bailey, Opheim, MT. – Jake Knaff, Glasgow, MT. | 15.22 lbs. |
| 31. | Matt Simley, Nashua, MT. – Brandon Hansard, Nashua, MT. | 13.13 lbs. |
| 32. | Wayne Shipp, Glasgow, MT. – Della Shipp, Glasgow, MT. | 12.67 lbs. |
| 33. | Vance Anderson, Glasgow, MT. – Bo Boreson, Glasgow, MT. | 12.56 lbs. |
| 34. | Jason Partridge, Glasgow, MT. – Brien Gault, Glasgow, MT. | 12.42 lbs. |
| 35. | Nick Pentas, Billings, MT. – Shawn Bergstrom, Nashua, MT. | 11.87 lbs. |
| 36. | Damon Taylor, Medicine Lake, MT. – Andy Schell, Nashua, MT. | 11.23 lbs. |
| 37. | Spencer Marsh, Glasgow, MT. – Luke Tolzien, Glasgow, MT. | 10.49 lbs. |
| 38. | Jake Aune, Glasgow, MT. – Shawn Wersal, Glasgow, MT. | 10.23 lbs. |
| 39. | Doug Marottek, Poplar, MT. – Ryan Marottek, Poplar, MT. | 10.01 lbs. |
| 40. | Jesse Nickels, Nashua, MT. – Jessica Hallock, Nashua, MT. | 8.98 lbs. |
| 41. | Curt Shipman, Glasgow, MT. – Bob Harrington, Glasgow, MT. | 7.27 lbs. |
| 42. | Seth Morehouse, Glasgow, MT. – Levi Sugg, Glasgow, MT. | 6.97 lbs. |
| 43. | James Merideth, Nashua, MT. – Mike Merideth, Nashua, MT. | 6.89 lbs. |
| 44. | Justin Reynolds, Columbia Falls, MT. – Thomas Probert, Glasgow, MT. | 6.59 lbs. |
| 45. | Dan Brandt, Glasgow, MT. – Jim Brandt, Glasgow, MT. | 6.25 lbs. |
| 46. | Jeff Unterscher, Glendive, MT. – Ben Unterscher, Glasgow, MT. | 6.08 lbs. |
| 47. | Jason Sillerud, Glasgow, MT. – Aaron Ginger, Glasgow, MT. | 5.72 lbs. |
| 48. | Chris Kolstad, Glasgow, MT. – Jace Kolstad, Glasgow, MT. | 4.91 lbs. |
| 49. | Darin Eschenbacher, Savage, MT. – Jim Wenzel, Sidney, MT. | 3.94 lbs. |
| 50. | Paul Provencher, Glasgow, MT.- Lane Provencher, Glasgow, MT. | 3.92 lbs. |
| 51. | Doug Wixson, Glasgow, MT. – Jaycee Wixson, Glasgow, MT. | 3.75 lbs. |
| 52. | Norm Braaten, Fort Peck, MT. – Dustin Braaten, Nashua, MT. | 3.39 lbs. |
| 53. | Elias Nix, Glasgow, MT. – Samantha Nix, Glasgow, MT. | 2.88 lbs. |
| 54. | Aimee Ost, Billings, MT. – Timm Canen, Glasgow, MT. | 2.80 lbs. |
| 55. | Reid Coldwell, Glasgow, MT. – Cordell Younkin, Glasgow, MT. | 2.51 lbs. |
| 56. | Chaz Johnson, Glasgow, MT. – Jodie Siefert, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Paul Dull, Hinsdale, MT. – Mark Combs, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Dustin Bietz, Glasgow, MT. – Ricci Olson, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Randy Elletson, Glasgow, MT. – Jeff Kalinski, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Eldon Porras, Wolf Point, MT. – Ashley Moran, Wolf Point, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Stacy Barclay, Williston, ND. – Ashley Harris, Sidney, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | DJ Elletson, Glasgow, MT. – Brendan Waarvik, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Michael Meiers, Glasgow, MT. – Jacob Meiers, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Fred Beil, Hinsdale, MT. – Greg Ripley, Hinsdale, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | William Durell, Nashua, MT. – Aaron Durell, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | J.R. Cusker, Nashua, MT. – Kaitlin Cusker, Nashua, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Tracy Krause, Havre, MT. – Shelby Fossum, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Paul Feezell, Miles City, MT. – Brody Killen, Miles City, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Justin Nielson, Chinook, MT. – Eric Miller, Chinook, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Kelsie Chambers, Rapid City, SD. – Brittne Wersal, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Bryon Armour, Lewistown, MT. – Jeffery Armour, Lewistown, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Dylan Hughes, Glasgow, MT. – Aaron Hartsock, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Carmen Corey, Nashua, MT. – Tom James, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Randy Cumber, Glasgow, MT. – Louie Monson, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Thomas James, Williston, ND. – Brandon Mueller, Sidney, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Scott Swanson, Laurel, MT. – Bobby Wise, Billings, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Phil Southland, Scobey, MT. – Joe Tolzien, Scobey, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Bill Murch, Glasgow, MT. – Cowboy Murch, Glasgow, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Dallas Capdeville, Hinsdale, MT. – Marjie Capdeville, Hinsdale, MT. | 0 lbs. |
| 56. | Kevin McElvaney, Dickinson, ND. – Garrett Lund, Scobey, MT. | 0 lbs. |
Posted in: Milk River Catfish Classic
