Pat Schlapper won his first Elite Series title at the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite on the Sabine River in southeast Texas this weekend, taking home an additional $4,000 bonus from Yamaha’s Power Pay contingency program. His winning weight of 38-lbs 12-oz is officially the lightest four-day winning weight in Elite Series history, a title that Schlapper welcomes.

The Eleva, Wisconsin native had to scrap and claw for every ounce on the Sabine River, much like he had to do to earn his spot amongst his Elite Series peers. Schlapper’s story is one of perseverance that resonates with many who aspire to fish at the highest level. It’s easy to root for a guy like Pat Schlapper.

Schlapper, who went to college for elementary education, started working part time for Scheels in their fishing department in 2004 while pursuing his degree. When he graduated and teaching positions were tough to come by, he made the decision to become the full-time fishing manager at the Eau Claire Scheels store in 2006.

A position he held until he won the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship in 2020 and double qualified in the Bassmaster Opens that same year, earning his spot to compete on the Elite Series. Scheels, his one-time employer turned into the title sponsor on the side of his Skeeter boat when he became a full-time pro angler in 2021. Since that time Schlapper has qualified for four Classics, notched half a dozen top ten finishes and is now an Elite Series champion.

A story you could find next to the definition of ‘The American Dream.’

But Schlapper will be the first to tell you his career has not been all sunshine and rainbows. With the peaks, there have come plenty of valleys that Schlapper worked through with midwestern grit and a never give up attitude. Through the highs and lows, one foundation Schlapper has always leaned on is confidence in his equipment.

“The first boat I owned was a 2004 Skeeter with an old Yamaha VMAX that my dad and I put who knows how many hours on,” Schlapper recalled. “Since then, I’ve owned several boats, but every single one of them has had a Yamaha Outboard on the back. No matter how long or sketchy the run is, I never have to worry about my Yamaha. That trust is invaluable no matter what level you fish.”

The vast area anglers had available to them at the Sabine River, including the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, is a fishery that tested anglers’ equipment to the max. Schlapper was making a one-hour run each way to get to his fish during competition, through both big water and narrow sloughs, and his Yamaha 250hp VMAX SHO performed flawlessly.

Not only did Schlapper’s Yamaha get him to and from his fish each day, but it also earned him some extra income through the free-to-enter Power Pay program for being the highest finishing angler running a Yamaha motor purchased within the past 60-months.

“I tell people all the time that they are crazy if they aren’t signed up for Power Pay,” Schlapper said with a smile. “The program pays out to something like 600+ events and of all levels, too. I won a bunch of extra cash through Power Pay when I fished the B.A.S.S. Nation and Opens, and now again on the Elites. You make extra money to run what is already the best product out there.”

For more information, a full list of supported events, or to sign up and start reaping the rewards of Yamaha Power Pay like Pat Schlapper, follow this link: https://yamahapowerpay.com/. Whether you compete in team tournament trails, high school or college events, at the triple AAA level or in select walleye and saltwater competitions you can start taking advantage of Power Pay today.