I don't know if others know this yet, but just heard that famous Ozark fisherman Charlie Campbell  has passed on. He passed away on April 20th, at 87yrs old. I met Mr. Campbell at BPS in Springfield Mo in 1986. Throughout the day, he was surrounded by fans, talking fishing and signing autographs. 3 or 4 times my wife and I tried to get close to him but couldnt. Finally, with about 40 minutes of the program left, I told my wife let's try one more time. The crowd had thinned out, and folks were going home by then. I saw him sitting alone at a table behind one of the booths. He looked tired, and burned out from the long day. I was a little bit afraid to say anything. But I said " Mr. Campbell"? He stood up, walked our way, and stuck out his hand, with a firm handshake. " Hi I'm Charlie Campbell". We talked for a few minutes mostly about his expertise with a Zara Spook, the lure he was most known for. When we said goodbye he said "good luck always". That day, I earned a new respect for him, that went beyond his great fishing skills. He was a humble, easy going guy who was a class act, and will always be a hero of mine. RIP Charlie Campbell.

 

Thank you for sharing the news.

 

Professional bass fisherman, for the most part, will speak to us "rookies" and treat us in a friendly and professional manner.

 

Only once have I had a negative encounter with a bass pro. He was having a bad tournament and was in a foul mood and I understood that. He was nasty to everyone around him.

 

I now watch his videos and Facebook posts and he is back to his normal, loving self.

 

Glad you made the introduction and shared your story.

Back in the 70's and 80's i caught a lot of bass on that big black Charlie Campbell spinnerbait .

25 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Back in the 70's and 80's i caught a lot of bass on that big black Charlie Campbell spinnerbait .

Yep. Along with Guido, one of the all time best from our state. I'm going to hang a black skirt on the CC spinnerbait this summer, and fish it because of him. It caught a lot of fish for me too.