Milk River Catfish Classic

04/23/2026

🚨 Irrigation Season Alert – Milk River Project 🚨

The Milk River Joint Board voted last night to begin irrigation deliveries from Fresno Reservoir in May. Irrigation districts and Reclamation pump contracts served by Fresno will be allowed to turn on starting May 15, and acreage below Nelson Reservoir releases will start May 10.

The current plan is to operate for up to 40 days, through June 24, or shut off sooner once districts have been covered once. This will be followed by a temporary shutoff period to allow Fresno Reservoir storage to recover, with the goal of supporting a second irrigation beginning in mid-July.

Conservation will be critical during this first irrigation period. Districts will be limited to one irrigation per crop, with no second irrigations allowed during the first turn-on period. The goal is to preserve enough water to make a meaningful second irrigation possible later in the season, with some help from weather and runoff.

This plan is based on current conditions and may change depending on upcoming weather, runoff, and infrastructure constraints. The Board plans to meet again in June to reassess reservoir levels and determine next steps.

04/19/2026

Current Cat Classic Paid Waiting List for 2026:

1. Josh Palm, Glasgow, MT., Rory Crawford, Wolf Point, MT.
2. Leo Pattison, Glasgow, MT., Murdock Pattison, Glasgow, MT.
3. Steve Harris Sr., Sidney, MT., Grady Nelson, Sidney, MT.
4. David Irving, Glasgow, MT., Rod Ost, Glasgow, MT.**
5. Brady Braaten, Glasgow, MT., Ridge Braaten, Glasgow, MT.**

04/10/2026

04/07/2026

Let’s Go!!!! Let that water 💦 flow. The Mighty Milk. The lifeline of the Hi-Line. 👊

Well friends—today is the day!!

Today, the St. Mary Canal is officially back online following the replacement of two major siphon projects, thanks to an incredible team of contractors, engineers, a dedicated tribal workforce, tribal permitting and regulatory offices, and some of the best subcontractors around. While there is still work ahead—site reclamation, finishing touches, and working through the final punch list—the water is flowing again.

I want to take a moment to give a huge shoutout to everyone involved. They have worked tirelessly to get us to this point, putting in long days and pushing through challenges to restore operations—not only at the failed St. Mary Siphon, but also at the Hall’s Coulee Siphon.

To put it into perspective, these two projects were accomplished in just 658 calendar days—or ~504 on-the-job workdays—since the failure on June 17, 2024.

That is no small feat. Truly impressive work all around. A pretty exciting message to see in our water operations inbox this morning, don’t you think?

04/06/2026

Look who’s coming to the Cat Classic Calcutta and Street Dance night! 👀

Montana Catfish Association

01/04/2026

The start of the 2026 Cat Classic Waiting List:

1. Josh Palm, Glasgow, MT., Rory Crawford, Wolf Point, MT.
2. Leo Pattison, Glasgow, MT., Murdock Pattison, Glasgow, MT.
3. Steve Harris Sr., Sidney, MT., Grady Nelson, Sidney, MT.
4. David Irving, Glasgow, MT., Rod Ost, Glasgow, MT.**

01/03/2026

The 27th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic is FULL at 80 teams in less than 36 hours. 👊
*We will now take up to TEN teams on the paid waiting list*

01/03/2026

75. Kyle Wing, Glasgow, MT., Jessica Ost, Glasgow, MT.
76. Brian Mix, Glasgow, MT., Elliot Mix, Glasgow, MT.
77. Zach Miller, Glasgow, MT., Charlotte Miller, Glasgow, MT.
78. Tristan Joyce, Plentywood, MT., Isayara Valverde, Glasgow, MT.
79. Brett Bates, Glasgow, MT., Bryker Bates, Glasgow, MT.
80. Hillary Peace, Nashua, MT., Patti Sibley, Nashua, MT.

The 27th Annual Milk River Catfish Classic is FULL at 80 teams in less than 36 hours. 👊

**We will now take up to TEN teams on the paid waiting list. We traditionally see at least five to seven teams per year come off of the waiting list and be able to fish. Do NOT wait.**

01/03/2026

70. Brielle Partridge, Glasgow, MT., Tatum Provencher, Glasgow, MT.
71. Jeremy Schnebelt, S**o, MT., Josh Hirth, Hinsdale, MT.
72. Cade Dockter, Glendive, MT., Keegan Mires, Glendive, MT.**
73. Tyler Wittenberg, Shepherd, MT., Aspen Rivers, Shepherd, MT.
74. Clancy Harris, Glasgow, MT., Knoxsen Harris, Glasgow, MT.**

01/03/2026

64. Scott Redstone, Glasgow, MT., Macy Redstone, Glasgow, MT.
65. Casey Riggin, Glasgow, MT., Tate Riggin, Glasgow, MT.
66. Jessica Riggin, Glasgow, MT., Brandi Nace, Nashua, MT.
67. Levi Sugg, Glasgow, MT., Rivers Sugg, Glasgow, MT.**
68. Trevor Waarvik, Glasgow, MT., Gage Waarvik, Glasgow, MT.
69. Norman Sibley, Nashua, MT., Wyatt Sibley, Nashua, MT.

01/03/2026

MIDNIGHT UPDATE.
We are sitting at 68 Teams after just 24 hours! 12 spots remaining.
First come, first serve.