Imagine that fishing charters captain william poertner

Captain Billy Poertner grew up fishing the cobalt waters of South Florida. Billy’s love for the ocean began at a very young age delivering boats with his grandfather and competing in fishing tournaments with his father. Captain Billy’s passion for fishing was evident when after a long day of fishing he could often be found on the local pier trying to catch yet another fish. A third generation Captain, Billy has salt on the brain and an uncanny ability to find the fish.

Captain Billy is proud of his four years of service in the United States Marine Corps and presently serves in the United States Coast Guard Reserve in the capacity of Boatswain Mate. As a Boatswain Mate, Billy’s responsibilities include instructing and mentoring junior members of his unit on proper seamanship, charting, navigation, and tactical operations. Throughout his military career, Captain Billy has served in our nation proudly. While serving in the USMC Captain Billy’s deployments include Somalia ‘92-93, Bosnia ‘95, and Haiti spring of ‘94. As a part of the USCG Reserve Captain Billy served in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in ‘05 was deployed to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in New Orleans, 2008 was sent to GITMO in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and his most recent deployment was in 2010 to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort. Captain Billy is also a Firefighter/Paramedic for Tampa Fire Rescue where he serves as part of the Honor Guard and Marine Division, leaving the crew of “Imagine That” in very capable hands. Yup. This kid is for real.

On the Tactical Angler Pro Staff, Captain Billy has enjoyed a very successful tournament career with several Top 5 finishes in 2009 and 2010 to his credit aboard the boat "Imagine That”. Routinely found at the scales, Captain Billy and his dedicated crew in 2009, captured 2nd place in SKA Division 8 Class of 23 and 5th Place in Division 10 Class of 23, which qualified them for the 2009 Southern Kingfish Association National Championships held in Biloxi, Mississippi. In 2010 Captain Billy and the team missed fishing Key West the 2010 season opener, as he was deployed to Haiti for the Earthquake relief effort. However, Captain Billy was named “Guardian of the Week” by the Coast Guard‘s “Compass” for his heroic efforts. After his return, he once again won Class of 23 for the 2^nd year in a row, with an impressive 7^th place overall finish at the Frances Langford Memorial Tournament. “Imagine That” concluded the year finishing 2nd place Class of 23 at the 2010 SKA National Finals held in Fort Pierce, Florida. “Imagine That” is also a proud member of the 2009 Southern Kingfish Association “50 Pound Club.” An honored accomplishment for any SKA tournament angler, to be entered into this small angling fraternity you must weigh one fish over 50#. Why be humble here? It was a 52# king caught at the Frances Langford Memorial tournament (their first SKA tournament, by the way) where they took 4th place overall and first place in the 23 Class. Not too shabby. Captain Billy has numerous Top Lady Angler, Top Senior, and Top Junior Angler awards to his credit, as well.

Captain Billy is the quintessential calm and controlled Captain much like Henry the V, “Once more into the breach dear friends,” he is a leader and a crew member. He asks for the crew’s input and respects what they say. He is not afraid to climb in the trenches. “His father had a slight misstep backward and Billy, very nonchalantly, almost without looking, extended a hand and put it at the small of his father’s back to steady him as he continued talking… if you weren’t completely studying everyone’s movements, you would have missed this little gesture. It spoke volumes about the character of the man on the boat. Billy is the type of guy you wish all men were like. This moment struck me, and I will forever remember it,” Elizabeth recalls from her first trip with Billy in Biloxi.

Captain Billy also gives back to the community through the Wounded Warriors Foundation by donating free fishing trips to those who have been wounded serving our country. In 2010 he has scheduled 14 trips to our nation’s hero’s. He donates money for the foundation and is continuously looking to support them. Within the first 24 hours of Billy’s fundraising campaign, Tactical Angler / Imagine That Fishing LLC. have already reached 50% of their initial goal for Wounded Warriors. Tactical Angler / Imagine That Fishing LLC. also donates 75.00 per full day charter and 20% of their winnings to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The team, led by Captain Billy, embodies good old fashioned family values, a desire to give back to the community, a passion for fishing that is unmatched, and dedication that is rarely seen these days. They are patriots, humanitarians, deeply grounded, and have a strong sense of conservation. Look under the shades and you will find that far away look - they are thinking about what could have been done differently and what will they do next time. They are always learning, asking, offering, helping, and plotting the next course for the chapter known as “Imagine That.”