Lions report another successful Huntington Catfish Derby
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, June 1st, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
HUNTINGTON – (Press Release from the Elgin Lions Club) This year’s Catfish Derby in Huntington proved to be very successful for various reasons. Chairman, Mike Raney, has been the organizer for the 40th year, but Lion membership had been decreasing to the point where he was uncertain about continuing the derby.
Registration was also up from recent years. Not only did sun shine during the entire event, but five new Lions joined to help continue the event. According to Mike, “With additional Lions, we may be able to continue having the Catfish Derby.” Another success was given from BINGO chair, past district governor Bill Burley who stated, “It has been a great year for BINGO. I think we’ll be breaking records.”
Winner of $500, with the largest “cat,” and not new to the circuit, was Tony Hauth. This was his fourth success with a trophy. This year’s catch weighed in at 32.06 pounds. Huntington’s own Kimber Wiley won the junior division with a catfish weighing 17.14 pounds.
The annual Memorial Day weekend featured other events such as lunches with catfish, David Henry’s Band and Music in the Park, a Barbecue chicken dinner, Flea Market, BINGO, Duck Derby, and Cornhole tournaments.
Photo #1 Past District Governor Bill Burley and wife Alice called numbers for BINGO
Photo #2 (left to right) Mike Raney, Past District Governor Gerald Hopkins, and Lion Eric Pinkson look over trophies for the Catfish Derby
