FROM ITALY TO ALABAMA
water , he leaned on the phone lines and his new American friends for support . But after a poor showing at Lake Eufaula , Gallelli says he was close to giving up completely .
“ I did very bad there ,” he recalls . “ I was not having a great season , and I honestly felt after that result that I was probably out of the championship race , which was my entire goal for the season .”
“ I know it will be tough . i am competing among some of the best anglers in the world , but i want to step up again .”
Rallied by allies on two continents , Gallelli scored his biggest win to date with an impressive win at the Potomac River in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in June . That victory was followed by a podium finish at the next Bass Pro Tour event on Lake Champlain , where bass fishing ’ s Italian Stallion held on to second place – one spot ahead of DeFoe and one behind Jacob Wheeler – after suffering an equipment failure on the final day of competition .
He ’ s used the proceeds of those victories , along with hard-earned sponsorships , to purchase a camper for the upcoming 2022 tournament season . In a few weeks , Gallelli will return to the United States with reinforcements .
In 2022 , Gallelli will have his girlfriend , Federica , and dog , Jago , by his side . They ’ ll arrive as a complete package with dreams set on catching enough bass to eventually buy a house in America . For now , however , it ’ s life on the highway .
“ I saw many people camping in my travels ,” Gallelli says . “ Brett Hite , Takahiro Omori and a lot of other people I have met on the trail have a Lance camper . I have no experience camping , but I understand that camping is the way to do it , so I am going to learn . I ’ m going to have to learn how to build a campfire , all of that .”
To haul the camper , Gallelli has gone full-on American and readied an arsenal of pro-level tournament equipment at a makeshift base in Wetumpka , Alabama . There , a new Ford F-350 , Phoenix 921 Elite and the camper await . The goal ? A Bass Pro Tour invitation . “ I know it will be tough ,” he admits . “ I am competing among some of the best anglers in the world , but I want to step up again . If I can get in the Top 10 consistently and advance to the Bass Pro Tour , even if I don ’ t win as much money , I will be very happy .”
This year , Gallelli hopes his childhood dreams will continue to pay off . For almost 40 years , he ’ s focused his entire will on becoming a professional fisherman . He ’ s followed the pledge of a young boy across oceans , to foreign lands and over foreign waters . He ’ s paid his dues alongside his older brothers and fellow countrymen in Italy and among local knowledgeladen competitors in the United States . Through it all , the determined fisherman from Tuscany has held his own .
Now , as American highways carry his closest family along for the ride , he ’ s betting it all on becoming Europe ’ s first toptier professional bass fisherman .
“ There is no plan B ,” he says . “ Plan B is dying .”
PHOTO BY JACOB FINE