SCHEELS Pro Staff Highlight—Pat Schlapper

Elite Series tournaments require a massive time commitment to be successful. “Some guys just show up the day of the competition, without studying the lake, and just start fishing. You won’t catch me doing that,” says Pat. Anglers who are competing are barred from practicing on the tournament water at least 28 days before the competition. “I’m there over a month before competition before we’re not allowed on the lake, putting the time in to get as familiar with the water as possible so I can be as prepared as possible.”

Schlapper's Road to Professional Fishing

However, Pat didn’t have the ‘typical’ path to Elite Series as most other anglers have had. Pat hasn’t always been a professional bass wrangler. Schalpper didn’t seriously pursue professional competition until he was 37, having created a comfortable 20-year career working at SCHEELS in Eau Claire as the Fishing Shop Manager. 

“I always told myself, ‘Maybe when I am 30, that’s when I will pursue professional fishing.’ But 30 came and I was feeling pretty happy and comfortable with where I was at and what I was doing. I wasn’t willing to take the risk yet. And I’m glad I didn’t go for it then, I wasn’t ready.”

Growing Up Fishing

Pat grew up in a family who loved fishing, “We would take regular trips to Canada to fish walleye and northern, and we were always out fishing at home in Wisconsin.” It wasn’t until 7th grade that he met a friend who introduced him to tournament fishing. And from then on, he was hooked—participating in as many local Wisconsin tournaments he could make it to with his little aluminum boat, going up against guys in fancy, sponsored bass fishing boats.

The middle school and high school ages are a time when we are all figuring ourselves out. And for Pat, he found his love for the competition of bass fishing—it took over his life. “My first memorable tournament win was on Shell Lake with my dad. That was the first time I had won some real money, and that’s when I thought I could pursue this and make something of it.” That love for fishing and competition never left Pat as he went on to college to become a teacher so he could have the summers off to go fishing. But, thankfully for him, the Wisconsin teaching job market was ridiculously competitive. “I would apply for a teaching job and there would be 200 other candidates. And, boy, am I lucky it didn’t work out.” As a result, Pat landed at the Eau Claire SCHEELS.

Turning Passion into Work

Schlapper started working part-time at SCHEELS, which turned into a full-time Fishing Shop Manager position when teaching didn’t work out. Through his SCHEELS position, Schlapper met a great friend and coworker in Rob Yule (now store leader of the Omaha, NE SCHEELS). The two began going to every fishing tournament they could get to in the state. Pat would often travel out of state for bigger tournaments as well, burning up his paid time off.

“I couldn’t have been luckier with SCHEELS. When I ran out of PTO, they never said I couldn’t go to a tournament. We always worked it out between taking unpaid time off and working extra hours.”

Taking the Leap to the Elite Series

As time went on, people whom Pat used to beat in tournaments were now making it into the Elite Series, and Pat began to question why he couldn't make it too. “I became frustrated with the feeling of wanting to try to fish the Elite Series. And eventually, that feeling of frustration came to a head after meeting with my Store Leader. I called my dad afterward and told him I was thinking about quitting to pursue the Elite Series.” Soon enough, Pat put his two-week notice in—taking a big risk by leaving his established career to pursue something with no promise of success. But what he didn’t expect was that SCHEELS wanted to continue to work with him instead of saying ‘Bye! So long!’ The SCHEELS store in Eau Claire offered to keep him on part-time as he pursued qualifying for the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic. And SCHEELS sponsored Pat as well.

“You don’t realize it in the moment, but I was just frustrated.” Pat felt the call of what he was meant to do, and that meant making a decision many would advise against—leaving a good job that allowed him to live comfortably to pursue a passion that is beyond expensive with no guarantees of success. But, when we feel that call we best not ignore it. The best life lived is full of risk, but also great reward and satisfaction. Nothing good comes easy.

The Winning Starts & Continues

A year after taking that leap of faith, Pat won tournament after tournament; winning the state qualifier tournament, then the region qualifier, and finally the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, securing himself a place in the Elite Series and qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic. His dream has been realized and his risky move of chasing his dream paid off. “People always tell us when we’re younger to chase our dreams and do what we love. But nobody says that when you’re an adult. They tell you to get a job. And I did that, but I wasn’t completely satisfied.” Today, Pat continues to compete in the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic tournaments and continues to find success. 

If you want to be a professional angler one day, do what Pat did, chase that dream despite the risk, and follow his advice: 

“If you want to be a pro angler, you have to be willing to put in hard work, to not cut-corners, to get after it day after day, and not to let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. But, you have to be willing to work.”