About Bill “Heywood” Howard

My passion for fishing started at a very young age as I followed my dad around the freshwater ponds and lakes of South Carolina before the age of ten. We used to vacation on the beaches of North Carolina at the same time every year, which just corresponded with the local king fish run. With the help of my father, I caught my first king fish off the Windy Hill Pier at the ripe ole age of eight.

In 1972 we moved to Florida. While looking for a house, we lived in apartments located right on the water at Bahia Beach, in Ruskin Florida. I spent many days fishing the docks and local canals around this area. Later on, we moved to the Apollo Beach area and once again I spent my days fishing the local shorelines of Tampa Bay.

After high school I joined the U.S. Air Force which took me away from home for twenty years. In that time, I took that passion for fishing with me to locations all over the world. I learned the finer points of Walleye fishing in North Dakota, how to fish from the cliffs and deep water around Hawaii and the reservoir lakes of Nebraska. I have fished in Japan - Okinawa, Wake Island and Midway Island - and while these places are unique and special, there is no place like fishing in the place where you grew up.

In 2000, I retired from the Air Force and moved back home. I spent my days wading the flats of a local park and happened to talk with some guys in kayaks one afternoon. Well it wasn’t long before I was out there on the water in my own kayak and I’ve been hooked ever since.

I love everything about kayak fishing and I believe it’s made me a better fisherman. I love taking people out that have never fished out of kayaks before and watching their expressions when they find out how easy it is. I also enjoy sharing what I have learned over the past 35 years of fishing the South Shore of Tampa Bay and get a big kick when someone catches their first redfish or their biggest snook.

I especially like to sight fish to tailing redfish, I wouldn’t call it my specialty, but I get really worked up when I see a flat full of tails waving at me. There nothing quite like it.
I’m currently the President of the Central Florida Kayak Anglers, Tampa Chapter and a member of the Hillsborough County Sea Grass Task Force.

I’ve been married to my high school sweet heart Vicki for the past 23 years and have two great children, Andrew 21 and Sarah 10. We recently became grandparents for the first time. Our whole family, including our two dogs, Dusty and Petey enjoy the outdoors and fishing.