Pat Byle (left) and Kenny Henexson hoist the fish that allowed each of them to win their respective divisions at the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour event on Lake Erie. Photo by Vince Meyer. Anglers: Pat Byle, Kenny Henexson.

April 18, 2009 • Vince Meyer • Archives

PORT CLINTON, Ohio – Years ago Kenny Henexson of Thornton, Colo., made a deal with his wife. If he ever won an FLW Walleye Tour event, he would stop this business of running around the nation chasing after walleyes.

Well, Mrs. Henexson, your husband’s on his way home with a check for $8,267, his reward for a three-day effort that brought 94 pounds, 3 ounces of walleyes to the scales, good for first place in the Co-angler Division of the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour season opener on Lake Erie.

Best of all, Kenny won’t be packing his bags again anytime soon.

“I made a deal with her, and I can’t go back on it,” said Henexson, whose career earnings in FLW Outdoors tournaments total $26,715. “We’ve been together for more than 25 years, and once you make a deal, it’s a deal, as sad as that is.”

But Henexson also told his wife that someday he might like to try fishing as a pro. He has a Crestliner tournament boat in his yard that he bought for his son, who had thought about turning pro. When he didn’t, Henexson got the boat back.

Though a deal’s a deal, don’t be surprised if Henexson shows up on the tour again someday – on the other side of the boat.

“I guess I have no choice,” Henexson said. “I have to help my buddies prefish. I won’t quit walleye fishing. I’ll hit some smaller tournaments around home.”