Legendary bass fisherman still hooked on Ozark lakes
Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008
KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. — At 75, Charlie Campbell is still living his dream in the Ozarks.
In many ways, his life has come full circle.
He remembers growing up with a fishing pole in his hands, holding onto the pockets of his dad’s overalls so that he wouldn’t get lost, just fishing for fun.
That passion led to a career that thrust him into the national spotlight — a career built on designing everything from bass boats to fishing lures, competing on the national BASS tour, and helping build the Bass Pro Shops empire. A career that resulted in him being inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame this winter.
But now he’s back to fishing just for fun, launching his boat on Ozark reservoirs he has fished for most of his life and going after whatever’s biting.
“If you like to fish, you can’t pick a much better place to live than the Ozarks,” said Campbell, of Forsyth. “We have great bass fishing, big walleyes, float streams, good trout fishing, white bass, crappies, you name it.
“ I guess that’s why I haven’t been able to give it up. I still fish four days a week, and I enjoy it now as much as ever.
“ Fishing’s just in my blood.” On a warm spring day, Campbell was casting to a bank he has fished for years at Table Rock Lake.
And it wasn’t long before he got his customary results.
As he crawled a plastic lizard across the bottom, he felt a tap. When he set the hook, that tap turned into the strong pull of a big bass.
“Big smallmouth,” he said as he saw the bronze fish flash in the clear water.
Seconds later, he landed the 1 2 / 2-pound fish and admired it for a moment before plunking it back into the water.
“I never get tired of fishing for these big Ozarks bass,” he said. “I’ve been all over the country, fishing some of the most famous lakes there are. But places like Table Rock compare well with any of them.
“ This lake is really coming back when it comes to big fish.” Campbell can speak from experience. He has caught largemouth bass up to 10 pounds, 4 ounces in the Ozarks.
“I caught that fish on a Zara Spook [topwater lure ],” Campbell said. “That same day, I caught a 7-pounder.
“ That was a day I’ll never forget.” A trip from the distant past ? No, just two years ago.
“The bass fishing isn’t anything like it was years ago when these reservoirs were just coming in,” Campbell said. “But there are still big bass in here.
“ If the conditions are just right, you can still catch some big fish.” For as far back as Campbell can remember, he had a fishing rod in his hands.
He remembers when he was 4, tagging along with his dad, fishing some of the creeks near Ava, Mo., where he grew up.
“We’d fish at night, and my dad had one rule. I had to hold onto the pockets of his overalls so I wouldn’t stray off,” Campbell said with a laugh. “My dad would fish with a Jitterbug or a Crazy Crawler and he’d catch a lot of fish.
“ But he had to. Back then, we were fishing for food.” When Campbell was in high school, he and his brother built a johnboat and instantly became two of the most popular boys in town.
“We had a lot of buddies who wanted to go fishing,” Campbell said.
Fishing continued to be an important part of Campbell’s life when he graduated from Drury College and got his first teaching job. He went to Forsyth High School and began coaching basketball and teaching physical education and driver’s ed. But when he wasn’t teaching...
“Several of us teachers would beat the kids out of school each day when we were going fishing,” Campbell said. “We’d go over to Bull Shoals and just fish off the bank.
“ I’ll never forget the day that I caught three walleyes weighing more than 14 pounds [apiece ]. That just doesn’t happen anymore.” Campbell started guiding on Bull Shoals in 1958 and led customers to big bass. He also found success with his teaching and coaching. In 1973, he led Forsyth High to the state basketball championship.
“I walked off the court and said, ‘That’s it, ”’ he said. “ I decided it was time to go fishing.” That proved to be a wise move.
Campbell became immersed in the fishing industry, guiding on Ozarks reservoirs and even running his marine dealership for three years in Branson.
He went to work for Bass Pro Shops, helping in the design of the original Bass Tracker boat, fieldtesting all Bass Pro products and working in public relations.
By the mid-1970 s, he decided to test the professional bass fishing waters and went on the BASS tour.
“I remember my first tournament,” he said. “I just stayed in an Army pup tent and cooked out.
“ I was just getting started, and I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on motels and restaurants.” But Campbell quickly found success on the national tour. He won the BASS National Federation Tournament in 1974 and went on to qualify for five Bassmaster Classics, the circuit’s national championship.
He retired from the pro game eight years ago when he had a heart attack. But he still does appearances for Bass Pro Shops, especially when a new store opens.
“I can’t believe the recognition fishing has given me,” he said. “It’s very humbling.
“ I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of fishing. It’s always been part of my life, and I think it will be until the day I die.”
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