As the saying goes, he has been there, done that and has the shirt to prove it. Chip Porche’ went from college fisherman to aspiring pro to Elite Series angler pretty quickly, and now he takes his knowledge to the fishing industry where he now makes his rounds.
Porche’ was a founding member of the University of Oklahoma bass fishing team in 2006. With a crafty knowledge of a newfound social media platform, he was able to recruit people to join his efforts on the Sooner bass team.
“I was mowing my lawn one day, and I decided to start a fishing team at Oklahoma,” Porche’ said. “Facebook was just starting, and that’s how I was able to find the guys to start the team. I found Matt Pangrac, Jordan Nichols and a couple other guys.”
Porche’ aspired to be a professional fisherman before he even made a cast in a college tournament, but, unlike most, he made his dream a reality soon after.
“When I showed up at Oklahoma in the summer of 2006 there were only a handful of teams in the country. We had a really unique blend of guys that helped start the team,” Porche’ said. “We had great success early on with the guys at Oklahoma.”
Porche’ competed at the college level when it was referred to as the Smashmouth College Bass Series, and, back then, every league was in the early stages of development. During his time with the Oklahoma Bass Team, they found success in every fashion including a Bassmaster College Series Championship on the Arkansas River.
Porche’ said he and partner Matt Pangrac fished an area and took the lead after two days of competition. On that final day they found a local fishing in their spot with his two grandchildren, and after not infringing on the water, they fell to a tie for second place. Porche’ said they learned a lot that day, and, obviously knowing what he does now, that he would’ve tried harder to share the water.
“College fishing allowed me to meet a lot of people and build networks not only in-state, but also across the country,” Porche’ said. “I was able to go to Dardanelle, Sam Rayburn, Lewisville, Table Rock and other regional lakes; it opened up my eyes on fishing different types of water that you don’t always get to fish.”
Porche’ took his college fishing experience and his degree in Communications to the next level and began competing on the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens series. During that time he also began working with Dynamic Sponsorships, which is a mixture of companies like Carhartt, Toyota, Quantum and others.
“Chip was one of the first guys to realize that college fishing could be used as a building block to professional fishing,” Pangrac said. “He had the drive to use this path as an avenue to the Opens and Elite Series where as college anglers take that for granted now because of how big it has gotten.”
While working the booth at Elite Series events and Opens, Porche’ mixed work with competition and sought after an Elite Series berth. A struggle in his first year didn’t keep him down as his second year in the Opens yielded a different result and an opportunity to fish with the best in the world.
“Qualifying for the Elites is what you set your goals for,” Porche’ said. “It’s all I wanted to do in life since I was 18 years old. People told me for a long time that I wasn’t good enough to qualify. You battle those demons and try to simplify everything and just worry about fishing.”
Porche’s year in the Elite Series didn’t go as well as the Oklahoma native would have liked, but that doesn’t mean 2013 didn’t offer a great deal of life lessons.
“You have to have the resources,” said Porche’. “Some guys are good enough to compete at that level, but they don’t have the resources. You have to give yourself three years to experience different bodies of water so things can possibly play out different ways.”
Working with an outfit like Dynamic allows Porche’ to still be around the fishing industry to fuel that desire and passion, but it also allows him to keep the harsh reality of professional fishing in perspective. It costs a lot to fish at that level and Porche’ knows that directly the result, but he urges college anglers and others alike to take their time.
“Try not to get in a race because everything has gotten so competitive with high school and college fishing. Being able to understand bodies of water, learn techniques, making decisions and adapting on the water is so important,” Porche’ said. “The only way to learn and see how pros break down water and do certain things is to fish with as many people as possible because it’s then that you will learn more than you ever though you could.”
Porche’s passion for fishing still exists and there is no doubt that he would love to return and fish at the highest level once again. To do so, his financial support would have to be there and that is one of the hardest variables to control in the sport, according to Porche’.
“If you have a passion and love for the sport, it’s going to show and people will notice that,” Porche’ said.
