For most people, fishing is a form of relaxation, a way to slow down, unplug, and commune with nature while reeling in an afternoon snack. For Steve Harvey, fishing was never recreation. It was survival.
Long before Family Feud, Miss Universe, or his daytime talk show, Harvey was a struggling stand-up comedian, homeless and living out of his car as he traveled from gig to gig across the South. With little money and nowhere to land, the only way he kept from starving was by casting a line into the lakes, rivers, and ponds he passed, cooking his catch at the nearest rest stop.
“I traveled with a rod, reel, tackle box, skillet, some charcoal, cornmeal, and grease,” Harvey recalls while driving through Georgia, this time in a considerably nicer car. “When I caught bass, crappie or brim, I’d clean them on the bank, stop at a rest area, and cook them on those cast-iron grills. That’s how I pretty much survived. Fishing wasn’t fun for me. It was about staying alive.”
Rock bottom came one evening when Harvey stopped by a lake to catch his dinner. The bite was on, and he’d already landed half a dozen fish when the owner of the property rolled up on a four-wheeler.
“He said, ‘This ain’t your lake. Why you fishing over here?’” Harvey remembers. “I apologized and pulled my line out of the water. Then he said, ‘Those ain’t your fish. Throw them fish back.’”
Harvey watched as all six fish went back into the lake.
“That was my dinner,” he says. “I got in the car, a little teary-eyed, and I told God, ‘One day I’m gonna buy me a piece of land with a pond on it, and can’t nobody throw me off. And I’m gonna fish whenever I want to.’”
Six years later, Harvey was on television. As soon as he had enough money, the very first thing he bought was 16 acres of land near Little Elm, Texas, complete with his own fishing pond.
“That was the greatest joy of my life,” he says. “I had my land, my pond, and couldn’t nobody tell me nothing.”
Over time, Harvey acquired the surrounding land until he became the largest single landowner in Denton County, eventually owning more than 100 acres and three fishing ponds. Fishing, once a means of survival, became a refuge, a place where fame didn’t matter and life slowed down.
“Fish got a mind of their own,” Harvey says. “They don’t send out memos. They don’t tell you what they’re hitting on, whether they’re running deep or shallow. You gotta figure it out.”
He laughs. “And they don’t care who you are. They don’t care I got a $300 rod and a $500 reel. I’ll be out there showing a little boy how to fish, and he’s next to me with a Zebco 33 catching four fish while I ain’t caught a single one. It’s real humbling.”
Today, Harvey shares those lessons, and the peace he’s found in fishing, with at-risk boys through the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program, expanding the appeal of the outdoors far beyond its traditional demographics. Though blessed with fame and fortune, Harvey understands the unifying power of nature and uses it to help shape better men.
Steve Harvey: An Outdoors Role Model
Steve Harvey was born in Welch, West Virginia, the son of a coal miner. The family lived in a holler, and he learned to fish from his uncle Donald at a nearby pond with nothing more than a rod and a bucket. While hunting was common, it never quite stuck.
“They kind of broke my spirit about hunting,” Harvey says. “They used to take me rabbit hunting, and my job was squeezing the guts out and putting ’em in a pouch. Man, I hated that.”
Still, his love for the outdoors endured, along with the guidance of strong male role models, his father and uncle foremost among them. When his father passed away, Harvey gained a new perspective on just how pivotal that influence had been.
“I was on a private jet heading back to L.A. after the funeral,” he says. “And I realized there ain’t no way I’d be on this plane, on TV, famous, if it wasn’t for that man.”
Then came another big moment of realization.
“What do boys do who don’t have a father?” he thought. “How do they figure out manhood? How do they make their dreams come true?”
That question became the foundation of the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program.
The first year, Harvey brought 50 boys to his ranch near Dallas, immersing inner-city youth in a natural environment far removed from city lights, noise, and negative influences.
“The outdoors does something to those boys,” he says. “It strips you. When it gets dark in the country, it gets dark for real.”
He smiles. “We get some tough kids. But when you see a kid who claims to be a gangbanger scared to touch a fish, it’s funny. And it’s a real joy when you see a kid catch one for the first time.”
The program later moved to Harvey’s ranch in Georgia, where he stocks his ponds with hybrid bass bred to fight harder than typical fish. Today, the camp hosts 250 boys annually, supported by volunteers, former campers, and, until recently the U.S. Army. Graduation is held on Father’s Day, and each camper leaves with a mentor’s phone number they can call long after camp ends. Many return for years as volunteers.
Harvey proudly recounts success stories, boys who’ve gone on to become engineers, airline pilots, ministers, real estate investors, and members of the military.
“I had about 40 soldiers helping me every year,” he says. “When funding cuts labeled my program as DEI and shut that support down, those same men took their vacation time to come back and help. That meant everything to me.”
End Game For A Better America
While few campers have entered outdoor-related professions, Harvey hopes to change that by working with Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops to create a fishing certification program.
“You can get certified to weld. To be an electrician. To fit golf clubs,” he says. “But there’s no certification for fishing. I want kids to learn knots, lures, water patterns, everything, and walk away qualified to work in the outdoor industry, whether that’s apparel, equipment, technology, or retail at places like Bass Pro Shops or Academy Sports.”
That idea was front of mind when Harvey attended ICAST for the first time in 2025.
“It was a great experience,” he says. “But it didn’t look like America.”
Now, his mission is to introduce fishing to kids who’ve never seen themselves represented in the sport, growing participation while creating common ground in a divided country.
“If we talked more about our similarities instead of our differences, we could solve a lot,” Harvey says. “Fishing is a common place to meet. You don’t see many fights out on a lake.”
Ultimately, Harvey wants to share the peace he’s found in the outdoors.
“It’s hard to be angry in the middle of a field,” he says. “Hard to be angry in the forest. Nature is healing.”
Despite traveling the world, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, nothing compares to his ranch.
“My wife built us some beautiful houses,” he says. “But when I’m at that ranch house with my simple coffee machine, stepping outside with a mug and hearing the trees, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
For Steve Harvey, fishing isn’t about the catch. It’s about survival, humility, and finding peace, one cast at a time.
Steve Harvey’s Milestones & Memorable Moments
- Stand-Up Comedy & Kings of Comedy Rose: From stand-up stages to national fame through The Original Kings of Comedy.
- Showtime at the Apollo: Longest-serving host, ushering in a new era of iconic performances.
- Family Feud: Under his tenure, the show has achieved record-breaking ratings and moments, including historic, high-stakes "Fast Money" wins. He has been recognized as a television icon, largely driven by his tenure on Family Feud.
- Radio & Media: Built The Steve Harvey Morning Show into a nationally syndicated powerhouse.
- Television & Talk Show Success: Starred in and hosted multiple hit television programs.
- Awards & Industry Honors: 6× Daytime Emmy Award Winner, 14× NAACP Image Award Winner, 2× Marconi Award Winner, People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Talk Show Host, and BET Humanitarian Award recipient.
- Hollywood Walk of Fame: Honored with a star recognizing his lasting impact on entertainment.
- Broadcasting Legacy: Inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
- Academic & Civic Recognition: Awarded an honorary doctorate from Alabama State University; Cleveland’s East 112th Street renamed “Steve Harvey Way.”
- Philanthropy & Legacy: Founder of the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, empowering youth through mentorship and education.
Catch Yourself Some More Steve Harvey
If you are interested in learning more about the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation Camps or the Steve Harvey Charity Golf Classic, check out theharveyfoundation.org.
You can also follow Steve on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and his Legacy Ranch on IG.
