Johnathan Hillstrand

Celebrity Speaker Johnathan Hillstrand is a rambunctious crab fisherman known for his prominent role on the Discovery Channel Series Deadliest Catch.  Hillstrand runs a tight ship, but he is well thought of among his crewmembers and enjoys letting loose and horseplay from time to time.  Celebrity Speaker Johnathan and his brother Andy Hillstrand co-captain their vessel, Time Bandit, throughout the series.

Celebrity Speaker Johnathan Hillstrand was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska making the Bering Sea his hometown fishing grounds.  Hillstrand began fishing at the age of 7, and became a full-time fisherman after high school.  Johnathan Hillstrand began appearing on Deadliest Catch during the second season of the show in 2006.  The entire Time Bandit crew would continue into the current season, number 10 for the series.  John Hillstrand primarily captains the Time Bandit during the King Crab fishing season, while also acting as a mechanic for the boat.  Throughout the show’s growth into one of the most popular series on cable, Hillstrand has been a primary fixture.

The Time Bandit was a custom designed vessel by Johnathan’s father, and built by all of the Hillstrand Brothers.  The vessel is notable for its unique accomodations for a crab fishing ship including a sauna, queen sized beds and a dishwasher.  The vessel is built to hold 137 crabbing pots and hold six crewmembers.  During the summer months when crab season is at a halt, Hillstrand fishes for salmon on his 38-foot Fishing Fever.

Celebrity Speaker Johnathan Hillstrand was previously married with two children from the marriage.  His son, Scotty, is one of the deckhands on the Time Bandit is a reoccurring character on show and is the likely successor to Johnathan as the Time Bandit’s next captain.