On September 13, 2004, the fishing world lost one of its greatest legends, Virgil Ward. He was 93 years old, and fished up until a couple of weeks before his death.

Virgil was a very religious, good, kind family man. He taught people many things, not just in fishing and the outdoors, but also in how a person should treat other people. The man you saw on television is the person you would meet – if you had ever been lucky enough to do so.

He was a friend to many people, even to those who have never met him. This is evident in emails that have been received recently from fans whose lives he has touched throughout the years. One said, “God bless him and his family.....Please give my condolences to his family. He shaped millions of kids lives, he was a wonderful man.”

Many people in the fishing industry have been touched in a way that they will never forget. Dan Galusha says, “He was more than a friend; he was more like a second father, or very close uncle. We discussed everything under the sun, and during that time he offered advice regarding my career and life. Following much of this advice is what brought me along from a tackle sales rep, to writer, and eventually radio/TV host. I started as a simple fan, and from that point built my career, and a friendship with the greatest man in our industry.”

Fishing legends, Al and Ron Lindner, were also touched by Virgil’s magic. After filming a Championship Fishing Show with Virgil, Al and Ron got the idea to purchase a camera and start their own show. As Al said in The World of Virgil Ward documentary, “The rest is history.”

A few years ago a person in the sport fishing industry said, “If all the people in our industry were like Virgil, we would have no problems.” This could be expanded to “If all the people in the World were like Virgil, we would have no problems.”

Thank you, Virgil Ward, for making this a better world while you were here. May we all carry a little of your spirit with us throughout our lives.

Virgil was a true Champion in life and fishing.

God now has a great fishing partner.

In 1999 outdoor media personality Dan Galusha, and photojournalist Brad Mosier finished two years of work in co-producing The World of Virgil Ward, which is a PBS television documentary about the life of Virgil Ward. Galusha and Mosier are multi-award winners in their respective fields, and put all of their knowledge, experience and admiration for Mr. Ward in to this project. It is from this documentary that the information and photos for this page have been obtained. Some of these photos did not appear in the documentary.

At this point it must be mentioned that without the funding from Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops, Sam Johnson of JWA/Johnson Wax, and Wes Campbell of TTI Hooks, this documentary would not have been possible.

"Championship Fishing TV Show Theme Song"
From the lakes of northern Canada
To the Gulf of Mexico.
Wherever fish are biting
That's where we're going to go.
There's a lot of exciting country
Just waiting to be explored.
So join us now in the great outdoors,
The World of Virgil Ward