Houston man will participate this year in 50th consecutive trout fishing opening day

Every year, regardless of the weather, hundreds of people of all ages flock to Montauk State Park in southwestern Dent County on March 1 to take part in opening day of trout fishing season.

Some are regulars at the event, but perhaps none more so than lifelong Houston resident Steve Williams. In fact, when Williams casts his line into the chilly headwaters of the Current River at Montauk on March 1 of this year, it will mark the 50th straight time he has fished for trout at the venue on opening day.

“Lordy, I can’t believe it’s been 50 years,” Williams said. “It doesn’t seem like that long.”

A graduate of Houston High School, Williams works as a scale operator at the Doss and Harper quarry, where he has been employed for about 30 years. He has been an avid angler since he was about 10 years old.

“I’d go fishing with my grandpa, my dad or my uncle,” Williams said, “until I got my license.”

The half-century-long saga at Montauk began in 1969 when Williams was 14 and his uncle, Alvin Collins, took him to opening day. Collins was killed in a car wreck north of Licking about a year later, Williams said.

“I’ve kind of made it a habit since then,” he said.

Trout anglers in Missouri waters are always in search of a “lunker.” Williams said his biggest moment came last year, when on his 49th opening day he landed a four-pound, 13-ounce rainbow.

His son, Tyler, was with him.

“I had to laugh, because I was just sitting there playing the fish,” Williams said, “and he said, ‘Would you quit fiddling around and get that thing in!’ The he saw how big it was, and he said, ‘Oh my gosh!’”

Williams said he stays on the shore when trout fishing and always uses light tackle, such as a featherweight rod and three-pound test line. His favorite lures are small jigs fashioned by his son.

“He ties all my jigs,” Williams said. “He’s a fly-fisherman, but I stick with spin-cast.”

Williams has spent decades fishing at many locations around Missouri in addition to Montauk State Park, including other state-run trout parks at Bennett Spring and Roaring River and various bodies of water where he would try to catch crappie, bass and other game fish.

“I just like fishing,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what kind.”

As an avid outdoorsman, Williams over the years enjoyed bow hunting and bow fishing, and he for many years was an active member of a now defunct local bow hunting club. He started bow hunting at age 16 and still loves it.

{{tncms-inline alignment=”right” content=”<p><span>“Lordy, I can’t believe it’s been 50 years. It doesn’t seem like that long.”</span></p> <p><span>-STEVE WILLIAMS</span></p>” id=”c25ce157-ce83-4351-a5cc-110659b34951″ style-type=”quote” title=”Quote” type=”relcontent” width=”half”}}

“I’ve been all over the country doing that,” Williams said. “I went to Wyoming about every year.”

It stands to reason that Williams has seen plenty of interesting things during his trips to Montauk – some good, some bad and some ugly.

“One time a guy was fly fishing in a spot that wasn’t a good place to fly fish because there were people behind him,” Williams said. “There used to be a bush behind where he was, and he was casting and casting, and then he was looking at the bush and jerking on his rod. He thought his fly was hooked on the bush, but he had caught a guy’s ear who was behind him.

“It was hilarious, but I don’t think the guy thought it was funny.”

Williams recalls his son being on the receiving end of another unfortunate event.

“He got a hook in his head,” Williams said. “I dug it out and we bought some peroxide from the lodge since the wound might be a little dirty. He poured it on his head and it turned his hair white.

“His mom didn’t like that.”

Health issues and advancing age have made Williams appreciate some of what he saw his grandfather experience as an angler.

“I used to laugh at him, because he could barely see the hooks to tie them on the line,” Williams said. “I’d say, ‘Old man, what’s the matter with you?’ Now, that’s me.”

Will there be a 51st opening day for Williams? And beyond?

“I used to tell people I’d keep going until I had to crawl,” he said. “I’m dang near there, but I’ll keep going as long as I can.”

{{tncms-inline alignment=”center” content=”<p>Missouri’s trout program can be traced back to the late 1800s, and really got rolling in the 1920s and ’30s when private trout hatcheries at Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk and Springfield were acquired. In 1937, Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment establishing the Missouri Conservation Commission and Missouri Department of Conservation. From then on, the Show-Me State’s trout fishing industry has largely been under MDC’s umbrella.</p> <p>Nowadays, MDC oversees operations at four trout parks: Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk and Maramec Spring (the first three in partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources state parks division and the fourth with the James Foundation). After the big annual opening day, trout season extends through Oct. 31.</p>” id=”a154e65e-8358-4805-90e8-dc66c39c2964″ style-type=”bio” title=”TROUT FISHING IN MISSOURI” type=”relcontent” width=”full”}}

Missouri’s trout program can be traced back to the late 1800s, and really got rolling in the 1920s and ’30s when private trout hatcheries at Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk and Springfield were acquired. In 1937, Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment establishing the Missouri Conservation Commission and Missouri Department of Conservation. From then on, the Show-Me State’s trout fishing industry has largely been under MDC’s umbrella.

Nowadays, MDC oversees operations at four trout parks: Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk and Maramec Spring (the first three in partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources state parks division and the fourth with the James Foundation). After the big annual opening day, trout season extends through Oct. 31.

“Lordy, I can’t believe it’s been 50 years. It doesn’t seem like that long.”

-STEVE WILLIAMS