About this tournament

Montana Student Anglers is the state’s TBF Student Angler Federation chapter, organized out of Kalispell and run for high school anglers across western Montana. Their season is a string of low-entry-fee Saturday events on Flathead-area lakes — Thompson is one of the fixtures on that schedule because the chain holds a healthy largemouth population, has solid public access, and stays small enough for a youth field to fish comfortably.

The August 1, 2026 event runs as a Season Points stop on Lower and Middle Thompson Lake near Marion (Kalispell-area). Expect a roughly 6:30 a.m. launch with a mid-afternoon weigh-in. Two-person student teams fish from a boat with a non-angling adult boat captain at the wheel. Points from this event roll into the Montana Student Anglers’ Angler-of-the-Year standings, which determine which teams earn berths to the TBF High School Fishing National/World Championship the following summer.

Entry is $20 per team and the format is a standard five-fish largemouth limit weigh-in. Tournament is open to any high school-age angler in Montana — no club affiliation required, though most participants fish as part of a school or area Student Angler team.

Schedule

• Sat Aug 1, 2026 — Approx. 6:30 a.m. launch from Lower/Middle Thompson Lake, weigh-in mid-afternoon (typical Season Points format)

Entry & Prizes

Entry: $20 per two-person student team. Adult boat captain required (non-angler).

What to expect

Lower and Middle Thompson are connected and largely shallow with a lot of weedline structure — frogs, senkos, and chatterbaits on weed edges have historically produced. Confirm exact launch ramp and start time with Montana Student Anglers on Facebook the week of the event; ramp locations on the chain can rotate year to year.

Contact