Houston celebrating 50 years as pro bass angler
Jimmy Houston was early into an interview about his 50 years as a professional bass angler when a caller interrupted the telephone conversation.
Houston instantly recognized the voice as Bill Dance.
“A lot of people ask me about Bill Dance,” Houston said, trying unsuccessfully to be as serious as possible. “I mean, I learned a lot from Bill because I used to watch his TV show when I was a little kid.”
The gauntlet had been thrown.
If Roland Martin had been in on the conversation, the three of them might still be talking today. Martin’s name was also mentioned several times by Houston once Dance got off the line and went back to trout fishing on the White River in north central Arkansas.
Martin, Houston and Dance are the Three Musketeers of bass fishing. Some might add Hank Parker or someone else to the group, and that’s OK, but none will argue with the contributions Houston has made to the sport. That includes Dance. “Don’t be telling people all my secrets on how to catch fish,” Dance jokingly warned Houston, much like he joked recently when the two appeared on a list of fishing superstars at the Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid. Even when Houston tried to be serious about his friendship with Dance, he couldn’t.
“People know what great friends we have been for so many years,” Houston said. “Bill’s earned the right to go sit on the Mississippi River and go catfishing. He doesn’t have to work anymore. That’s what one of his sponsors complained about to me.”
Whoa, Dance said, “What sponsor was that?”
Houston, whose gift of gab and high-pitched laugh are among his trademarks (more on that later), admitted he was only joking about a complaint from one of Dance’s sponsors.
“I just made that story up,” he deadpanned.
After which, Houston invited Dance to come fish on his farm in Oklahoma.
Houston said he has fished many times with Dance and Martin.
“I actually did a fishing show recently with Roland while we were in Canada,” Houston said. “Roland kicked one rod and reel over the side of the boat. I don’t know how expensive the reel was, but the rod was $400. And then before the day was over he got a big smallmouth on and he got so excited he stepped on another $300 rod and broke it.”
Houston loves to tell stories. He is one of the sport’s great storytellers. He’s also one of the busiest. When he isn’t fishing, he’s doing 100plus shows for one of his many sponsors or giving inspirational talks at 20-25 churches each year.
In 2016, besides celebrating his 50th year of fishing national tournaments, Houston also became the first fisherman to be inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
Another notable event happened in Houston’s life in 2016.
On the final day of the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake near Huntsville, Alabama, one of his sponsors (Quaker State) paid tribute to Houston in an unusual way. Quaker State honored his impressive career, embracing his quirky and fun-loving personality by having 1,000plus fans wear blond wigs and black sunglasses to look like Houston.
“I was totally blown away,” Houston said of the tribute. “I knew they were going to pull some sort of trick. They took me in a room and put a guard on me. They at least put me in a room with a lot of food. It was amazing to see all those people wearing wigs and sunglasses.”
At 72, Houston said he will remain a part of the Quaker State fishing team in 2017, but he will cut down on his tournament schedule. He said he has committed to fishing in at least four tournaments.
“I enjoy visiting with the people and all the fishing fans,” he said. “One of the reasons that I don’t quit tournament fishing is that this sport has been so good to me and so good to my family that I like to pay back by just being out there with the people.”
After all, Jimmy Houston is the ultimate people person.
“I have lived the dream, as has Bill Dance, Roland Martin and Hank Parker and others,” he said. “I have a lot of fun and I go at it as hard as I can. All those little Johnny stories you’ve heard about all your life; well, those were really little Jimmy stories.”