Inductees

The old-timers who loved to fish still remember the way it was in the mid-1970s.

With the man-made lakes of the Ozarks having been full the previous 20 years, those who had an itch to compete against other anglers didn’t have many options. Local tournaments? Well, the best way was through a club tournament.

So, in 1976, a few guys who lived in the Sparta area southeast of Springfield – Johnny Walker, Randy Workman, Herb Luttrell and Terry Thomas – launched what they called the Lost Creek Bass Club.

Numerous marinas at area lakes welcomed them with open arms, setting them up for success.

That success? In essence, the organization has furthered the sport of fishing over the past 50 years, and that’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Lost Creek Bass Club with the Class of 2026.

In fact, it is the first such fishing club ever inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“The club was very casual, yet competitive,” said Kirby Wilson, who joined in 1989 and was club president for 30 years. “There were a lot of good members willing to work together to learn more about fishing. Johnny Walker was an inspiration to all with his dedication to fishing and Lost Creek.”

Numerous marinas played a role in that success.

They included Highway 13 Boat Dock (Port of Kimberling), Campbell Point Boat Dock and Cape Fair Boat Dock on Table Rock; Theodosia Marina, K Dock and Buck Creek on Bull Shoals Lake. State Park Marina on Pomme de Terre; New Orleans Trails and Mutton Creek on Stockton Lake; PB 2 Marina on Lake of the Ozarks.

Bait shops such as Fin and Feather in Springfield, Consumers Hardware and Bass Pro Shops showed support, too.

Yes, it was fun. But certainly competitive.

Lost Creek has a maximum of 24 members annually – in many years, there was a wait list – and competes once a month throughout the year. The club at one point joined the Missouri Bass Association and then Missouri B.A.S.S., which it still belongs to today.

Additionally, Lost Creek had to register for permits with the Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Water Patrol. Notably, not everyone had a boat, so this allowed non-boaters to fish from a boat.

“It was very competitive,” Wilson said. “The higher you finished meant the final standing at the end of the year and if you got to compete in fishing the MBCA, whether you got to be a boater or non-boater.”

One of Lost Creek’s most important contributions to fishing was its creation of the Take A Kid Fishing Tournament, a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It annually drew 216 boats, with a boater required to take a school-age kid out for a fun day of fishing.

The idea came after Sparta High School’s FFA chapter asked Lost Creek to host a kids fishing tournament at the Beaver Creek ramp on Bull Shoals Lake.

Even better, north of 100 sponsors helped support the tournament. Ulrich Marine in Branson secured a Champion boat as a giveaway, and provided a catch-and-release boat and a mechanic. Fin & Feather provided tackle packs. Spouses and kids of Lost Creek members poured in numerous hours, too.

“The Take A Kid Tournament was very meaningful to me,” Wilson said. “It was something that enabled children to get to go fishing and experience tournament fishing. My job at the weigh-in was to measure the fish. I think that it was the best job in the tournament. Seeing these children carrying the fish up to be measured, especially the younger ones struggling with carrying the fish, with big smiles on the faces? Nothing is better.”

The hope was that the kids would carry on the sport.

“The life of fishing will be carried on by the kids who learn to enjoy the sport,” Wilson said. “To prove the point, many kids who fished the Take a Kid tournament came back fishing it with their kids. We even had a third generation also.”

Wilson has since stepped aside for the new generation. The son of one of the club’s members, Chris Selsor, is now the president.

It’s been more challenging to keep the club together, as regular Joes now have access to incredible technology to help fish lakes.

That said, Selsor is optimistic. After all, it’s hard to beat tradition.

“A fishing club isn’t measured in pounds or length,” he said. “It’s measured in the early mornings, shared tackle, and memories that only grow bigger with time.”