Owner/Operator William H Wilkerson has been in the sportfishing business for 36 years starting in Santa Monica, California as a deckhand on a half-day boat during the summers. At the age of 16, William moved to San Diego where he became a deadhead on the sport boat San Diego with Bob Williams, Tom Ebner, and Roy Rose, before joining the crew of Mascot 6 out of H&M Landing where he worked for two years. He then joined the owner-operator, Ray Sobieck, onboard the Producer, where for the next 14 seasons he honed his skills as deck boss. During that 14-year span with the Producer, William became one of three African American Captains in San Diego. He ran as the second operator for four years, learning all facets of the business from how to run a successful sportfishing operation to providing the best customer service possible.