All systems are “Go” for the 38th annual CATS Amazing Catfish tournament, but this year’s tournament will focus more on fishing and less on other activities that have been part of the event in recent years, according to the organizers.
Fishing hours for cats of this incredible year are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 25 and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday July 26. Tournament fishermen will start from the new Lafave Park boat ramp on the Red River in East Grand Forks.
As in previous years, the tournament is open to 125 teams, and around 65 teams had entered Wednesday July 16, said the director of the Paul Hansen tournament. It is slightly ahead of the rhythm of registration at this stage of recent years, he said, thanks in part to a registration raffle and a few other incentives.
“It looks good,” said Hansen. “New teams that we have never seen before (we register), so we get that too. Many new ones come from outside, but there are new ones from the region, so it’s a kind of combination.
“It’s good to see.”
The teams can weigh five catfish per day, two of which can exceed 24 inches.
The tournament organizers have done a little “reset” this year, says Hansen, and there will be fewer events in tap in collaboration with the tournament. Dockdogs, which was an associated attraction on the tournament site since 2021, will not come back this year.
In addition, there will be no beer coffee on site. Instead, the meeting of the Pre-Tournoi team, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday July 24 and the tournament award ceremony, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday July 26, will be held inside at the East Grand Forks VFW and not in a tent on the Lafave tournament site.
The organizers have chosen the VFW because it is large enough to contain up to 200 people if necessary, says Hansen.
“We understand nostalgia behind the tent,” said Hansen. “We understand that, but we have thought, try (the VFW). We did the team last year inside, and it seemed to be going well, so we will also do the prices at the VFW, just to see what is going on.
“If this does not work, we can always go back to the configuration of the tent, but with the fact that there are really no major events in progress (at Lafave Park), we decided:” Let’s take a look – do not settle the tent this year. “”
Back this year is the salday because show and the DQ Medallion Hunt, in which clues will be displayed daily on the
Incredible Facebook page of cats
To have the chance to find a hidden medallion and win a “cool weekly blizzard prize” from East Grand Forks Dairy Queen, one of the tournament sponsors.
Medallion clues are starting to fall on Monday July 21.
The “first couple” returns
Perhaps the biggest news as the tournament approaches, however, is that Gary and Bonnie Mounce by Nebraska City, Nebraska – the “first incredible cat couple” – will be back for another year. Now in the 80s, the Mounts caught all the incredible cats except the very first, and only because they did not know it. They won the 2023 tournament and said it would be their last incredible cats.
Until the following year, it turned out.
“They told me last year that it would be the last and now they will come back,” said Hansen. “(Bonnie) told me that it would be their last – but I heard that two years in a row.”
A family friend will be in the boat with the mountains to help them on the water.
The fees of incredible cats are $ 300 per team, with a first place price up to $ 10,000 if the tournament reaches its capacity of 125 teams; The prices will be reimbursed in 10th place, and the entries will be accepted until the tournament time.
As for fishing, it depends on who you ask, says Hansen.
“The reports I hear is a success,” said Hansen. “Some guys tell me that they find nothing, then the next guys tell me that the fishing is good there.
“So I don’t know who to believe.”
The East Grand Forks Firefighters Union, local 3423 of the IAFF, organizes the incredible catfish tournament of cats. Register online at
; For more information, see the
Page, send an email to iafflocal3423@yahoo.com or call (218) 399-3474.
