Bill McDonald grew up with a rod in his hand. He spent his free time fishing, hunting, and working on his grandparents’ farm. Summers were for fishing for bluegill and bass with his cousins, parents, aunts, and uncles. After high school, Bill looked for a job that allowed him to work outside and take advantage of rain days for fishing. He went into construction and ended up working as general superintendent on a commercial high rise. He continued fishing during all of his downtime, and it paid off.
For the last 20 years Bill has been a professional angler. The pool of pro anglers is very small and he worked hard to get there. He sacrificed time with his family. It was physically, mentally, and financially taxing to achieve his dream, but he did it. And he remains optimistic that others can do the same. “The best advice I can give anybody is fish with as many different people as you possibly can,” Bill says. Whether it's good or bad, you learn from everyone.”
He means to help others on their mission to excel at fishing. Outside of being a pro angler, Bill also offers private guided fishing experiences for adults and fishing camps for kids. His guided trips are in Indiana, Michigan, and Florida. Bill has run many fishing camps for children including The Wiley X Youth Camp. “I love to give back to the youth,” he says. “As adults we need to encourage those kids. They’re a great generation to continue the tradition.” Bill is inspirational but realistic. He teaches more than fishing, he points the way to weather blogging, sales, management, and social media management. Not all of the kids will become a pro anglers, but he shares with them that it doesn’t have to stop them from working in the industry.
