Mr. Crappie® has the distinction of being not just an event owner/rights holder but a supplier of fishing tackle as well. The organization puts on the Mr. Crappie Invitational Classic (which brings together 100 of the top crappie-fishing teams in America; teams qualify for the invitational through competition in events held during the season). It also hosts the Big Crappie Classic, a large family fishing tournament.
Mr. Crappie also produces the Crappie Expo, which brings together more than 100 crappie-related companies, including boat manufacturers, tackle dealers and fishing guides. The event includes seminars, music concerts and what has become known as the world’s largest crappie fry.
Sports Destination Management sat down with Mr. Crappie® himself, Wally Marshall, to learn more.
SDM: Crappie fishing has quite a following. How long has the expo been around?
Wally Marshall: The Crappie Expo was a dream of mine six years ago and now we’re in the fifth year of it. Our first was in Hot Springs in 2019, our second was in Branson, the third was in Shreveport and in the fourth year, 2022, we went back to Branson. This year, we’ll be in Birmingham, Alabama.
SDM: What are you looking for when it comes to a potential host?
Marshall: For Crappie Expo, we need a convention center with at least 90,000 square feet. So first of all, I am looking for the right square footage and of course, the lakes around it with a good population of fish.
SDM: Sounds like you have a big demand for vendor space.
Marshall: We have more than 100 vendors, including dealers, outboard motors, rods and reels – really, anything that relates to crappie fishing is at Crappie Expo. We have million-dollar companies exhibiting; the demand is so strong that last year, I had to turn down some companies because I didn’t have room for them. It’s a very targeted market and anyone in crappie fishing wants to be here.
SDM: Tell us about the fish fry!
Marshall: We call it the world’s largest crappie fry; we can feed 4,500 people in three hours. We have crappie, of course, hush puppies, French fries, cole slaw – we have it all. Everyone loves it.
SDM: And of course, that’s not all that’s going on.
Marshall: No, it’s busy. We kind of have the P.T. Barnum feeling going on; there are concerts, all kinds of family fun.
SDM: What do you look for when you’re seeking sites to host your competitive events?
Marshall: Just like with Crappie Expo, we like something with the right population of fish, and we like something that is a little off the beaten path. Once we put in the contract, we make the lake off-limits to our anglers for a year.
SDM: How should cities go about expressing an interest in hosting your events?
Marshall: I do have an RFP, but people can also contact me at the e-mail address of mrcrappie1@aol.com. One thing they need to make sure of if they want to host the Crappie Expo is that they have a convention center with at least 90,000 square feet.
SDM: You also have a very strong focus on the family and on youth fishing.
Marshall: Crappie fishing is a great family sport, and we really like to see the kids getting involved, so we encourage that very much. We always say that you can fish for crappie from the time you’re three years old until they put you in the grave. SDM
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