Joey Mines was born in Hartsville, South Carolina, on May 13, 1956. He graduated with a business degree from Clemson University in 1978. After graduation, Joey moved to LaGrange, Georgia where he worked for Milliken & Company for five years as a distribution manager.

In 1982, Joey pursued his life-long dream of starting his own business. He opened a sporting goods store and ran a successful guide service on West Point Lake. Publicity seemed to follow Joey and his fishing abilities over the next several months by way of articles and magazine covers. As a result, a local TV station approached him about doing a one-time show featuring West Point Lake. The show aired and soon became a weekly program. Since the initial airing over 25 years ago, Joey has done over 800 hunting and fishing shows throughout North and Central America.