The City of Mont Belvieu held its Fifth Annual Fish Fest at City Park on Saturday, Jan. 28. Each year this event grows in popularity, drawing anglers of all ages into Mont Belvieu for the chance to fish for rainbow trout right here in Southeast Texas. This year was no exception with almost 400 people packing the park to drop a pole in the water and hoping to reel in both a tasty trout and, maybe, a trophy.
For the first time, the Mont Belvieu Parks and Recreation Department gave out awards for the top five fish pulled in during the event. Liam Mettlach took the top trout weighing in at 2.34 pounds. Trophies were awarded to the following:
- Liam Mettlach
- Russel Davis
- Bradley Poole
- Maggie Reid
- Kelby Dunlap
This year’s event was further enhanced by a generous $5,000 donation from Oneok. The funds from Oneok allowed the City to introduce larger trophy-sized trout into the ponds at City Park that both increased the fun and stiffened the competition.
“Our community looks forward to this event every year and this year did not disappoint,” said Mont Belvieu Parks and Recreation Director Dustin Schubert. “A big thank you goes out to ONEOK for their generous donation. Through this partnership, we were able to enhance the event with more fish and door prizes. Our staff also worked very hard to add more activities to the day and keep this event growing. We look forward to having everyone join us at next year’s Fish Fest.”
Fish Fest has been a popular event in the area since its inception in 2019. But, Fish Fest has deep roots, drawing from other similar events hosted by the City of Mont Belvieu; even back to when fish were released into the old city pool at McLeod Park so kids could enjoy the thrill of feeling a fish tug on their line.
Annually, Fish Fest is supported through a partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which partners with the City to introduce rainbow trout into the ponds at Mont Belvieu’s City Park every January so area residents can try to reel in a species that’s not typically found in this region of the state. This event encourages families to get out and enjoy the outdoors and the natural sporting that is abundant in the Mont Belvieu area.