Pro Angler Cooper Gallant Chased Fishing Dream Without a Plan B
The 28-year-old Bassmaster Elite Series pro reflects on years of sleeping in his truck to achieve his career goals.
Cooper Gallant, now 28, pursued a career in professional bass fishing with unwavering dedication, eschewing a backup plan despite his mother's advice. "I didn't have a Plan B. It was always Plan A," Gallant told OutKick OutDoors.
Gallant's pursuit led him to live in his truck for approximately three years, sleeping in the front or back seat on a mattress as he worked his way up the ranks of competitive fishing. This period of intense grinding eventually paid off.
He has now completed his fourth season on the Bassmaster Elite Series, qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic in each of those years and achieving six Top 10 finishes on the Elite Series. Gallant, a Canadian angler, also holds a Century Belt, an award for catching over 100 pounds of bass in a four-day competition.
The Dream Begins
Gallant's passion for fishing started at age five in Bowmanville, Ontario, and by his early teens, it had become a serious pursuit. He joined a local club through Ontario B.A.S.S. Nation, which allowed him to fish with experienced anglers and learn from them at a young age. The Bassmaster Elite Series became his ultimate goal.
He credits the support of friends, fans, and sponsors within the Ontario B.A.S.S. Nation for enabling his journey. "It feels like yesterday I was 12, you know, chasing this dream," he said. "But the reason I'm here is because of those people who took me fishing throughout Ontario B.A.S.S. Nation — friends, support from fans, sponsors. Without that, I wouldn't be in this situation."
Realizing a Professional Career
A pivotal moment came in 2014 when Gallant competed in his first major tournament in the United States on the St. Lawrence River. The experience, coupled with witnessing the larger scale of tournament fishing in the U.S., including bigger fields and payouts, solidified his ambition. "You've got bigger fields, bigger payouts. And after we won that, I'm like, ‘Man, this is so cool,'" he recalled.
As he learned more about the industry, including the business and sponsorship aspects of professional fishing, the childhood dream evolved into a tangible career path. "When I realized, like, yeah, people can do this for a living and fish tournaments, I was all about it," Gallant stated.
Breakthrough and Future Goals
Gallant narrowly missed qualifying for the Elite Series in 2021, finishing fifth in the Northern Opens Angler of the Year standings. The following year, he secured his spot on the Elite Series by competing in all nine Bassmaster Opens, winning the Southern Open at Cherokee Lake, and ultimately finishing second in the overall Opens Angler of the Year standings.
Since joining the Elite Series, Gallant has continued to set ambitious goals. "The goals are always to win, obviously — win a blue trophy," he said, referring to the Bassmaster blue trophy. "The goal next year is to win a blue trophy on the Bassmaster Elite Series, Angler of the Year and, obviously, make the Bassmaster Classic. There's always three goals going into every single season, and hopefully we can knock at least one of those off the list next year."
As he looks ahead to future seasons, Gallant acknowledges the success of his dedicated approach. "I'm lucky it all ended up working out."