This latest move is taking us back to our original roots of how Lew’s began more than 60 years ago,” said Lew’s President Gary Remensnyder. “Lew Childre started out selling bamboo poles for panfish anglers, and that eventually led to his design and introduction of the famous Bream Buster poles that were favorites of panfish anglers for years to come. Then Wally came along in the 1980s with his unique vision for the crappie market, and he’s been thecrappie authority ever since. Bringing his brands and product development expertise together with ours under the same umbrella makes perfect sense.”
Lew’s and Marshall have more in common than just an interest in crappie products, and that is Lynn Reeves, a fishing industry veteran who acquired Lew’s nearly two years ago. For many years previously, Reeves was a top manager at a leading fishing tackle cataloger/retailer, and that’s when, in 1996, he contacted Marshall about designing a series of crappie rods. It wasn’t long after that the Wally Marshall Signature Series crappie rods hit the market and were a hit with crappie anglers everywhere. Within a couple more years, Marshall launched his Mr. Crappie brand of rods, reels, line and accessories. Since then, while most freshwater products have remained focused on bass, Marshall’s crappie brands have continued to grow and prosper as a result of his promotional efforts, from the successes he had using them along the crappie tournament trail, and through the exposures provided by the national cataloger/retailer. Marshall has indeed become “Mr. Crappie.”
“Hey, this has been a dream come true for me,” said Marshall. “And now I feel like a kid all over again to have this opportunity to work alongside Lynn once more on the Wally Marshall and Mr. Crappie brands that we launched together 15 years ago. He is a master at developing rods and reels per angler input, and it’s amazing what he has done with Lew’s products in just little more than the year that he’s owned the company. I’m thrilled to be working him, Gary and the rest of the Lew’s team. I can assure you that crappie anglers of all ages and skill levels are going to like what they see coming in this next generation of Wally Marshall and Mr. Crappie products.”
Reeves says he has had already begun work on the Wally Marshall Signature Series rods and reports the first models will be in the hands of the popular Texas-based crappie pro soon for testing. “Wally’s signature rods will be marketed under the Lew’s label, and built with the same attention to quality and innovation by which Lew Childre founded this tradition-rich brand so long ago. It’s a pleasure to be working with Wally again on the specs and actions for his rods and various other crappie fishing items. The end result will be the right products at the right prices.”
While some of the new Wally Marshall Signature Series and Mr. Crappie products will be announced and available yet this season, the full lineup is slated for 2012 and will be revealed at the annual ICAST fishing tackle trade show to be held this summer in Las Vegas.
For more information on the company’s history and products, visit www.Lews.com.
About Lew’s
Lew’s was founded by the late Lew Childre, a tinkerer who had turned his passion for fishing into a full-time career by the early 1950s. He started out selling bamboo poles, but then later took the simplest of fishing rods to a higher quality level by initiating specially grown bamboo for the purpose. His attention to detail and demand for lighter, faster and stronger products became the driving force behind his quest for innovation. The same objectives remain the primary focus of the company today.Childre was responsible for several fishing industry “firsts,” including the disengaging levelwind and "palming" side cover of baitcast reels. He also contributed to Fuji's design of the pistol grip handle and the use of ceramic inserts on rod guides.
Childre died in a plane crash in 1977. He was named one of "the 35 most influential people" to the sport of bass fishing by Bassmaster magazine in 2003.
Longtime industry executive Lynn Reeves acquired the Lew's name and many affiliated trademarks, including Speed Spool®, Speed Spin®, Laser®and Speed Stick®, from the Lew Childre family in 2009.
Today, the Lew's product line consists of four series of baitcast reels, two series of spinning reels and four series of rods - all being brand new designs and models – along with a variety of fishing accessories. The newest additions to the company include the Wally Marshall Signature Series and Mr. Crappie brands of crappie rods, reels and fishing accessories.
About Wally Marshall
For the past 25 years, Wally Marshall, also known as Mr. Crappie, has been a true leader and visionary for the niche sport of crappie fishing. He fell in love with fishing at the early age of 6 while enjoying the activity with family and friends in and around the ponds, creeks and lakes of Texas and Arkansas. He was in his 20s when he became especially fond of catching crappies.Marshall’s interest in the species and the sport grew even more when he started fishing crappie tournaments and began winning on the national level. Among his accomplishments to date are having qualified for 31 Crappie championships, earning an Angler-of-the-Year title in 2002, winning a Crappie Classic title in 2003, and claiming top prize at the Crappie Masters One-Pole Championship in 2010. Marshall is also a member of the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2008.
Since early in his career, Marshall has shared his learned crappie knowledge with anglers all across the country through his fishing DVDs, lectures and seminars. He resides in Garland, Texas.
Written by Lew’s® and Wally Marshall
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