Bill Dance (Outdoors Channel): Net Worth, Family, Wife, Children

• Bill Dance is a famous American fisherman and TV show host
• He is known for hosting "Bill Dance Outdoors"
• He won 7 B.A.S.S titles and 23 National Bass Fishing titles
• He had a heart attack in 2019 while shooting his show
• His net worth is estimated to be over $4 million

Known for movies

Fight Club (1999)
as Casting Department

American History X (1998)
as Casting Department

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
as Casting Department

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
as Casting Department

Who is Bill Dance?

William George ‘Bill’ Dance, Jr. was born in Lynchburg, Virginia USA, on 7 October 1940 – his zodiac sign is Libra, and he holds American nationality. He’s a fisherman and TV show host, who’s known best for hosting his own fishing show “Bill Dance Outdoors”, which has been airing on the Outdoor Channel since 5 January 1968. Each of the 900 episodes is 30 minutes long, and features Bill teaching his viewers about various fishing techniques, and how to catch fish such as Smallmouth and Largemouth bass.

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Early life and education

Bill was raised in Lynchburg by his father William Dance who was a physician, and mother whose name and profession remain undisclosed, while it’s believed that she was a nurse. Because Bill hasn’t spoken of having any siblings, most of his fans believe him to be an only child.

He looked up to his father while growing up, and dreamed of becoming a doctor, which was why he focused on studying and was amongst the top five of his class while attending a local high school. He matriculated in 1959 and enrolled at college, however, Bill was involved in a motorcycle accident in 1961, which apparently changed his mind about becoming a doctor.

He then ventured into fishing, and because Bill hasn’t mentioned graduating from college, it’s unknown whether he holds a  degree.

Career as a professional fisherman

Bill began competing in bass tournaments in 1963, sponsored by a fishing lure manufacturer who suggested that Bill should start his own TV show. After gaining some recognition, his show started airing on the ABC-affiliated TV station WHBQ in 1968.

Bill has since competed in various tournaments, and has been running his show “Bill Dance Outdoors” for more than 54 years now; he has also been running his second show “Bill Dance Saltwater” since 2009.

He’s easily recognized by his Tennessee Volunteers baseball cap, which he received from their coach Douglas Adair ‘Doug’ Dickey back in 1969; also Bill always wears sunglasses.

He’s today running the company Th3 Legends, selling signature products, together with fishermen Jimmy Houston and Roland Martin.

Awards and accolades

Bill was the first person to catch a bass in the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B. A. S. S.) competition.

He was named B. A. S. S. Angler of the Year in 1970, 1974 and 1977, and has won 7 B. A. S. S. titles, as well as 23 National Bass Fishing titles.

Bill was inducted into the National Freshwater Hall of Fame in 1986, and has also been inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame.

YouTube channel

Bill launched his YouTube channel “billdancefishing” on 9 October 2008, and it’s today subscribed to by close to 100,000 people, and numbers over 25 million views of all his videos combined. Most of these feature him fishing, showing off the fish which he’s caught and giving his fans advice on how to fish and which equipment to use; we’re going to mention three of Bill’s most popular videos, which have helped him attract many subscribers.

His #1 video “BDO13 Bloopers Volume 1” has been watched close to five million times, and shows the many times when Bill accidentally fell into the water, when he was hit by falling trees, and when his equipment fell into the water.

His second most popular video “BDO13 Bloopers Volume 2” has been viewed close to four million times, and is another compilation of Bill’s unfortunate moments.

Third on Bill’s list of most popular videos is “BDO13 Bloopers Volume 5”, watched more than three million times, and it’s yet another compilation of Bill’s unfortunate moments.

Wife and children

Bill prefers to keep the details of his private life to himself, but has still allowed his fans to have a glimpse into it.

He’s today living in Eads, Shelby County, Tennessee with his non-celebrity American wife Diane Dance. The date of their wedding remains unknown, while some of Bill’s fans believe that they met while they were both attending the same high school, and that they exchanged vows following Bill’s motorcycle accident.

They have three sons together, named Bill, Patrick and Paul, as well as daughter Pamela.

Bill has revealed that his job requires him to spend a lot of time away from home, and that he has little to no time to spend with his wife and children, but has also stated that his family is supportive of his career.

He hasn’t spoken of any other women whom he has perhaps been with, and as of April 2022, Bill’s married to Diane Dance, and they have four children together.

Hobbies and interesting facts

Bill can rarely be seen fishing at locations which are often used by other fishermen, mostly because people tend to recognize him and then come to ask him for help and an autograph, making it impossible for him to fish there.

He’s travelled to various US states and European countries for both work and pleasure, while his favorite place to travel to is perhaps North Idaho, because he enjoys fishing at Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Bill’s a fan of Hollywood movies – his favorite actors and actresses include Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts, while a couple of his favorite films are the trilogy “The Godfather”, “Die Hard” and “Pretty Woman”.

He’s an animal lover, and has had several pet dogs, while Bill has also donated money to various animal shelters.

He was physically highly active during his 20s and 30s, and often played sports with his friends, while he also had a couple of training sessions at the gym every week.

Heart attack

While shooting for this show “Bill Dance Outdoors” in 2019, Bill suffered a heart attack. He was rushed to a hospital and had to undergo emergency heart surgery, after which he spent some time recovering at the Arkansas Hospital Mountain Home; as soon as he was released, Bill returned to fishing, and shooting for “Bill Dance Outdoors”.

Age, height and net worth

Bill’s age is 81. He has short gray hair and brown eyes, his height is 5ft 8ins (1.75m) and he weighs around 165lbs (75kgs).

As of April 2022, his net worth stands at more than $4 million.