BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Jack Chancellor, 80, the 1985 Bassmaster Classic champion, passed away after a brief illness on Jan. 16. He is survived by wife Trece, sons Ben and Chance and daughter Jo Anna.
Chancellor won the Classic on the Arkansas River near Pine Bluff., Ark., and in doing so put his modified Carolina rig called the “Do-Nothing” worm in the spotlight. That lure and a jigging spoon formed the bait lineup for his winning weight of 45 pounds at the August event.
“After all the times and seminars of me telling just how good this Do-Nothing method is, fishermen didn’t take it or me seriously,” Chancellor was quoted saying in Bassmaster. “That was until it won the Classic.”
The worm rig was initially given to Chancellor by a friend in the 1970s. The name he chose was symbiotic with the presentation.
“You don’t have to do nothing to fish it and catch bass,” Chancellor said.
Simply put, the lure was dragged along the bottom. The key was how-to rig it. The 4-inch, straight as a stick, mold of a common earthworm came rigged with a pair of panfish-size hooks and a leader harness. The small, exposed hooks provided the advantage of being razor sharp. The worm harness loop was tied to a 4-foot leader connected to 14- to 17-pound main line with a swivel. A plastic bead was rigged above the swivel with a 1-ounce slip-sinker on the line.
Chancellor sold the Do-Nothing rig at his Jack’s Quick Stop convenience store in Phoenix City, Ala.
His Classic victory was leading Chancellor down the path of stardom when disaster struck in 1986. An automobile accident in which Chancellor suffered some herniated discs led to back problems that eventually cause him to quit competitive fishing in 1991.
“Jack was like a big brother to me, friends for life,” said Stanley Mitchell, 1981 Classic champion. “He was a true professional as an angler, trusted friend to all, and great family man.”
A celebration of life memorial service will be held Friday, Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. at Vance Brooks Funeral Home in Phenix City, Ala. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Columbus Hospice of Georgia and Alabama. Donations may be sent to 7020 Moon Rd., Columbus, Ga. 31909.
