SYRACUSE, N.Y.– Anytime Jacopo Gallelli travels to the Northern part of the United States to fish, he is reminded of his home country of Italy. Although the reservoirs he grew up fishing were extremely deep, up to 300 feet on a place like Lake Bolsena, they are super clear and filled with grass.
So naturally, Gallelli has made himself at home this week at Oneida Lake, catching a 19 pound, 14 ounce limit to land in third place after Day 1 just 9 ounces behind leader Kenny Mittelstaedt.
“This day was perfect for my fishing style. I grew up fishing in Italy in deep clear water in a lake like this is,” he said. “When it comes to fishing slow and truly, that is my kind of fishing.
“When I fish up North, even in the rivers, I feel like I am fishing at home.”
Gallelli had only eight bites on the day on a bait he describes as “very Italian”, but he found better quality bass that put him in contention for the win and a potential return to the Bassmaster Classic.
After getting his tournament career started with the Italian B.A.S.S. Nation and qualifying for a Nation Championship in 2008, Gallelli began fishing in the United States full time in 2014. In 2018, Gallelli finished fourth in the Nation Championship at Lake Pickwick and became the first Italian angler to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
Although he finished 49th in that 2019 Classic in Knoxville, it was the springboard he needed to jumpstart his pro career.
Last year, Gallelli became the first Italian angler to win a pro level event in this country with a victory on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on the Potomac River and is fourth in that series’ Angler of the Year race this year.
“I have a bunch of sponsors and I can make a living doing this,” Gallelli said. “This year was all in for me. I bought a new boat and truck. Even a camper to be more efficient. My wife is over here now and I am living my dream. If everything goes very well, I can go back to the Classic.”
Gallelli had a much slower and methodical approach to bass fishing the smaller lakes in Italy. Oneida, which is considered a relatively small tournament fishery in the United States, is much larger than any he competed on in his homeland.
“You fish much slower (in Italy). I had to kind of adapt to this kind of fishing. It took me two years to be in good shape to be able to fish against the Americans,” he explained. “The first year (2014) I was too slow. The biggest thing I have learned is to fish faster and understand when to stay and when to go. Before I was staying all the time.”
Learning the maps of the U.S. lakes was also a challenge for Gallelli, who used his graphs to make his own maps of the unmarked Italian lakes. Once he learned how to effectively use those maps, it reinforced the importance of boat positioning. Precise boat positioning was key at Oneida on Day 1, as he caught three quality bass with his boat set up a specific way.
Off the water, getting used to the layout and lifestyle of the U.S. was a challenge for himself and even more so for his wife.
“She is living with me now and we are in a camper. We have never been camping in our life. So when I mean culture shock, (that’s culture shock),” he said.
“Italy is very tight,” Gallelli explained. “You just go walking from your house and you buy bread and meat and have a restaurant over there. Over here if you don’t have a car you are kind of lost. It is a big culture shock for her. For me too, but I am a fisherman so I am okay with it. For her it is more difficult. As long as I can do well and make our life together nice, she is happy.
Gallelli signed up for all three Northern Opens in 2022 and although he finished 83rd at the James River after losing a couple key fish, he could make up a lot of ground in the points if he continues the pace he set on Day 1 at Oneida.
A win this week will earn him a berth in the Classic as long as he fishes the final Northern Open on the Upper Chesapeake Bay and a top finish there could potentially give him enough points for an Elite Series bid.
“For those who qualify (for the Elites), they won’t have worse than a 30-place average,” he said. “So if I can win and get a 5th, I can make it. But it will be very tough.”
