Another Legendary Bass Fisherman Enters the Pearly Gates

I'm talking, of course, about Charlie Campbell, 87, who passed on April 19, 2020, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MO.

Born March 5, 1933, in Salem, AR, Charlie was a U.S. Army veteran and served in Korea during the Korean War. On June 3, 1956, he married Wanda Mathews at Redbank Baptist Church in Goodhope, MO. They had two daughters: Susie and Cindy.

Charlie began his fishing career in 1958, as a fishing guide on Bull Shoals Lake. It was during that time that he developed the "CC Spinner Bait."

His success in topwater fishing also helped bring back the Zara Spook. He always said "the biggest error many anglers make when they work with a Spook is that they overwork it and move it too rapidly. The ideal retrieve pivots around subtle or short twitches of the wrist, and it is devoid of any movement of the forearm. He called it 'one twitch of the wrist and one rotation of the reel handle.'"

In 1974, while owner of a marine dealership in Branson, MO, he won the B.A.S.S. Federation National Championship on Table Rock Lake with 55.15 lbs. of bass on the Spook and placed fifth in the Bassmaster Classic.

In 1977, he started his employment with Bass Pro Shops, Inc., with Johnny Morris. While there, he helped design the Bass Tracker boat. He also field-tested many products for the company and represented Bass Pro Shops at national seminars.

Through the years, Charlie won 67 tournaments, had 30 top 10 finishes, and, from 1982 to 2019, co-hosted KY3 TV's "Bass Pro Shops Fishing Tips."

In addition to being inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Charlie was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and the Drury University Athletics Hall of Fame. He also was named an Outstanding Missourian by the state's House of Representatives.

Charlie Campbell is revered by Rick Clunn, who says "the world of professional bass fishing would be in a state of perfection if all its participants and managers were able to acquit themselves as gracefully and honorably as Campbell has done throughout his life."

Because of the health risks associated with large gatherings during COVID-19, a private family burial is planned at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield, MO. Charlie is survived by his wife, two daughters and their spouses, one brother and his wife, one sister and her husband, as well as several nieces, nephews, other relatives, and many friends.