Chad LaChance, the Colorado fisherman who endeared himself to anglers of all ages through his long-running “Fishful Thinker” TV show, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
LaChance died Monday at the age of 56 at his house off Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. He was surrounded by family and friends.
The Evergreen High School and CSU alum debuted “Fishful Thinker” in 2009, after taking a leap of faith by quitting his job in the mortgage industry to pursue fishing full time. He became well-known in the Colorado outdoors community for his accessible and knowledgeable videos on how to fish in the state and beyond.
The show ran nearly 400 episodes and underscored LaChance’s legacy of outdoor education.
He announced in June that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which metastasized throughout his abdomen. His final interview came on June 14 on 104.3 The Fan, where he said on Terry Wickstrom Outdoors that he achieved his goal “to motivate and inspire other people to go and catch fish.”
A native of Jupiter, Fla., LaChance became renowned for his use of jerkbait lures. He also served on the Larimer County Parks Advisory Board and mentored young fishermen. That included the Legacy High School tandem of Ryan Wood and Turner Mason, whom LaChance coached to the 2016 Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship in Tennessee.
There are currently no memorial services planned for LaChance. In his final interview with Wickstrom, he encouraged people to follow their dreams, no matter how out-of-the-box they may seem.
“I’ve followed my heart all the time, and that’s my advice,” LaChance said on June 14. “Follow your folly, follow your passion, because if you do that, the rest will work itself out.”
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