Captain Bill Wichrowski lives by two simple things, hard work, and honesty. And while his motto is simple, his methods are not. The man uses unconventional tricks and techniques to keep his crew motivated. Which is also how he got the nickname, Capt. Wild Bill. One of the leading stars of the reality TV series Deadliest Catch, Bill is one of the most prominent king crab fishermen in the Bering Sea. With years of experience as a navy to back himself up, Bill seems to make no wrong turns when it comes to navigating his ship to success. In this article, we take a closer look at the wiki-bio of Capt. Bill Wichrowski.
Early Life:
Captain Bill Wichrowski may be one of the friendliest characters on screen, but the man likes to keep his fair share of secrets. There are little details about his early life and Bill doesn’t seem to keen on revealing them. Born and raised in Irwin, Pennsylvania, Bill graduated from the Norwin High School in 1975. Bill moved to the west coast soon after and joined the US Navy. After wrapping up his four years of service at the navy, Bill moved to Bering sea, lured by the smell of money from Alaska’s king-crab fishing.
Deadliest Catch Captain Bill Wichrowski
Professional Career:
Bill spent his next twenty years in Alaska fishing for King Crabs. Over the years, Bill climbed from a greenhorn to one of the most skillful captains on the sea. He also made a considerable sum of money from his exploits. As a result, Bill decided semi-retire in 2005. Following the decision, he started to run sportfishing tours out of Costa Rica and Alaska.
Even though Bill was done with his life as a fisherman, the fisherman’s life was not done with him. In late 2008, the economy took a hit, and customers were few and far. So, after running sportfishing boats for three years, Bill decided to get in touch with his fisherman side.
Deadliest Catch:
Back in Alaska, Bill started king crab fishing once again and was making few profits. During the same time, Discovery channel’s newest hit, Deadliest Catch, was the talk of the town. The series included some of the best captains in business and Bill wanted to be a part of that. His hard work finally paid off in 2010, when Captain Bill Wichrowski was announced as the newest addition to the series. Since he has appeared in 122 episodes of Deadliest catch until 2020. Currently Bill captain’s fishing vessel Summer Bay.
Captain Bill Wichrowski along with co-star Nick McGlashan
Personal life:
Bill Wichrowski is a married man and has been so for a long time. He married Karen Gillis back in the day and the pair are together ever since. In their years as a married couple, the pair gave birth to two lovely children, Delia and Jake. Bill also has a son from his previous marriage. His eldest son Zack Larson bears the surname of his ex-wife.
Showing his son the ropes:
In 2014, Bill introduced his eldest son Zack into the show as a deckhand. As Bill was absent for much of Zack’s childhood, the pair never saw eye to eye. As a result, Zack chose to part ways with his father in Season 13 and joined Brenna A with Captain Sean Dwyer.
Bill Wichrowski wife Karen Gillis
Bill had his fair share of health problems over the years. His silvering mane is proof of his age and the man also had to endure a painful hip surgery. However, Bill is confident in his skills in beating them all.
Where Bill is from and his residence?
Bill is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. During off from fishing he makes most of his offseason in San Carlos, Mexico home. He also likes to utilize his free time enjoying hobbies of traveling, horseback riding, NASCAR, and sports fishing.
Net Worth
The commercial fisherman and reality TV star has an estimated net worth of $3 M according to celebritynetworth. He accumulates wealth through king crab fishing, reality TV show, and different business endeavors. Pouncing on the fame from the TV show he sells merchandise items through Wild Bill’s Gear Shop.
Birthday, Age
Captain Bill celebrates his birthday on May 4 every year. Judging by appearances Bill looks like someone nearing 60’s or in the early ’60s. However, there is no information on his birth year making it hard to tell his exact age.