Orlando Florida Fishing

The Captains' Tours brings 'Deadliest Catch' stars to Florida Theatre on Sunday

When they aren't taking over your TV on Tuesday nights, three of the "Deadliest Catch" stars can be found touring the country with tales of their fishing adventures.

Sig Hansen, captain of the boat Northwestern, and brothers Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand of Time Bandit launched The Captains' Tour earlier this month. The 24-venue tour will take the trio across the United States and Australia, including a stop Sunday at the Florida Theatre. Hansen and Andy Hillstrand said they are looking forward to visiting Jacksonville because neither has been here.

"The only places in Florida I've visited are Orlando and Sarasota," Hillstrand said. "I'm excited to go to the South and the West Coast on this tour."

April 12 marked the beginning of the seventh season of the "Deadliest Catch." The show was originally a documentary before the Discovery Channel turned their story into a series. Hillstrand said he never thought six years ago that he'd be on a show, and Hansen said he never imagined the show would be aired in more than 150 countries.

"I'm not sure Discovery knew how much the show would grow. It just kept picking up steam," Hansen said.

Season 7 has been one of the series' hardest because it talks about the death of fellow fisherman Phil Harris. Harris died February 2010 of a heart attack at age 53.

"Me, my brother and Sig didn't want to come back for another season," Hillstrand said, "but we worked it out and are glad to be back."

If the show has taught the trio anything, it is never to take life for granted. Hillstrand said he has had a number of friends die while fishing. According to the Discovery Channels' website, the Alaskan king crab fishing industry has one of the highest death rates of any job in the United States. The death rate during the main crab seasons averages out to nearly one fisherman per week. 80 percent of those deaths are caused by drowning or hypothermia.

"It sounds cliche, but just love your family," Hillstrand said. "You don't know when the last day of your life will be."

Hillstrand said he gets a lot of invitations to go fishing with fans. The Captains' Tour is a way to get out and meet people, he and Hansen said.

"I get a lot of invites to go fishing," Hillstrand said. "The tour is a great way for us to visit fans."

"We are working guys, and we want people to see us as not just mean fishermen," Hansen said. "We want our fans to know us on a more intimate level and to know we are real.

Orlando Florida Fishing Report 06-08-11 - Florida Sport Fishing ...

June 11, free fly tying lessons at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, starting at noon. The Clouser Minnow is the fly of choice this time.

On Memorial Day the family drove to the Villages to spend the day with family. It was Uncle Don's 75th birthday! My two boys were the only adult males there who weren't veterans. A moment of silence please, for all those who did not come home.

Fishing Central Florida

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando

Flyfisher's Guide to Freshwater Florida

Old Fishing Lures & Tackle, Identification and Value Guide

Orlando & Central Florida