About

Growing up in South Texas, William was raised fishing the waters of the Texas Gulf Coast and Mexico on his family’s boat “The Playmate”. As a young boy you would often find him wading along the coast with either a fly rod or spinning rod in hand. William was fascinated with the art and skill of catching and releasing creatures of the sea. He soon began sketching pictures from the many offshore and inshore adventures that he, his family and childhood friends had pursued.

Initially pursuing an education in Marine Biology, William’s natural gift to recreate almost anything he saw made him quickly realize that he needed a more creative outlet to express himself. William earned high honors and won several awards after making a switch to the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Soon after completing the architecture program, William worked for one of the largest and most prestigious architecture firms in San Antonio. Always pursuing new and innovative methods of design William purchased a Macintosh and taught himself the latest graphic design programs, which allowed him to make another jump into the world of advertising, thereby expanding his creative abilities.

At 25, he passed the exam for a captain’s license and shortly thereafter bought his first boat a 38’ Bertram called “Blues Chaser”. As a captain, William started and operated an offshore charter company, which would eventually lead him to Seaside, a coastal community in the Florida Panhandle. He continued to run offshore charters and guide inshore anglers through the estuaries of the Emerald Coast.

William then accepted a position with an architecture firm where he acted as the senior designer and as a captain for a private 50’ Sport Fish, which he ran in Gulf Coast Billfish Tournaments, which stretched from the Panhandle of Florida to Texas and the Bahamas.

William moved back to Texas in 2009 and started pursuing his love for redfish and trout along the gulf coast state. This allowed him to engage in his love of fishing, art and design as well as being able to reconnect with his local waters. Longing to find a way to combine his day job with his passion for fishing, William began photographing his fishing expeditions along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic and Bahamas first as a hobby and then incorporated it into the work he did by water coloring the scenes for his anglers.

William’s artistic ability to capture the emotion and feelings of the angler as they pursue their catch is second only to his skill on the polling platform. William’s love for guiding and fishing is clearly shown in his photography and artwork.

Equipment Used:

Boat:

2001 Hellsbay Professional 17.8 with 2021 Yamaha F70

https://www.hellsbayboatworks.com

Rods:

ORVIS

• ORVIS Helios 3D in 7/8/9/10 wt for fly

https://www.orvis.com/product/helios-3d-fly-rod/2M47-Family.html

• ORVIS Recon in 7/8/9/10 wt for fly

https://www.orvis.com/product/recon-fly-rod/2YLB-Family.html

• Gary’s tactical series for spinning

G-Loomis Green water for spinning