It's not necessarily the best fishermen who are out there. It's the best fishermen who are also good promoters of the sport, good spokesmen who can deal with the public. Haynes has been fishing as a pro for two complete summers. This year will be his third. Before turning pro, he fished as an amateur for three years on the tournament circuit.
Most tournaments pair a pro with an amateur each day during the three-day tournaments.
He and Denise also have two young daughters. With Denise as his traveling secretary, seamstress and business partner, Steve concentrates on fishing and meeting contractual obligations with his sponsors. Not that I don't fish a lot and intensely. One thing remains constant. In all of the photos, he's toting big walleyes.