It was a fitting location for the presentation, given Mr. Reeves spent 27 years as a leader with Bass Pro Shops, prior to resurrecting the legendary Lew’s brand of rods and reels 17 years ago.

 

Nearly a dozen living Hall of Famers were in the room to applaud Mr. Reeves, including his close friend, 1993 Bassmaster Classic Champion, and prominent Lew’s user and ambassador, David Fritts, who spoke about Mr. Reeves as both an incredible person and a tackle industry icon.

 

“Lynn has made a lifetime out of making it easier to cast a reel and catch a fish,” said Fritts. “Lynn loves fishing history. So, to see him revive the history-rich Lew’s brand in such a huge way is nearly hard to describe.”

 

Reeves spoke to that history when accepting the award, saying “All I intended to do when I bought Lew’s 17 years ago was to follow Lew Childre’s devotion to innovation that made the brand famous in the 1970s.”

 

“When we bought Lew’s in 2009, there wasn’t much left of the brand, but that was okay because I knew where to get the product manufactured. I just knew we needed to re-build the brand,” he explained.

 

And boy, did he.

 

The brand that began along the Gulf Coast through Lew Childre’s quest to provide anglers with the best bamboo fishing poles in America, remains the line of rods and reels that Bass Fishing Hall of Famers and Classic Champions rely on today.

 

And it may have all died on the vine had a passionate and very capable Lynn Reeves not thrown his heart and soul into saving it.