December and January may be the offseason for Bassmaster Elite Series anglers, but these months are the most hectic of the year for me. At the top of my to-do list is shoring up relationships with my current sponsors and approaching potential new sponsors.
To land a sponsor you have to reach out, work hard and get used to hearing the word “no.” I always wanted to represent G. Loomis and Shimano, and they now sponsor me. But this relationship didn’t happen overnight. I began talking with them four years ago.
You need to convince a company that you are going improve their bottom line. It helps when you truly believe in your sponsors’ products.
Every year I put my head down and get proposals out to companies I’d feel good about working with. Some proposals generate meetings that get things started. But even when you think a contract is likely, it can fall through at the last minute.
Part of acquiring a new sponsor is negotiating terms. This includes how and when you’ll receive payment and products. Plus, how many days are you obligated to work at things like sport shows and in-store seminars for them.
I have a couple of new sponsors this year I can’t wait to announce. One of them is a brand I’ve wanted to be with for years.
An essential task during the offseason is getting my truck and my new Nitro wrapped. I have the boat scheduled to be wrapped in late January.
I had my truck slated to be wrapped two days from when I was doing this column. Unfortunately, I’m having an issue with my truck and can’t drive it. If I don’t make this appointment, I’ll have to wait three weeks to get the truck wrapped.
I can’t wait that long. I have no choice but to buy a new truck in the next two days. I don’t even know what kind of vehicle I’ll be driving to the first tournaments.
Once I get everything wrapped, I’ll pack the boat with rods, baits and other essentials. That’s when I get excited. It’ll be time to put a tarp on the Nitro and head to Florida. I’m freezing up here in Ontario.
I hope to begin driving south on the first of February. That will give me enough time to launch on some of Florida’s warm, bass-rich waters before going to the St. Johns River for the first Elite event of the year.
I’ll use that time to break in the Mercury, make sure my electronics are dialed in and knock some rust off my shoulders.
I do a lot of video prep during the offseason for my “The Chase” series on YouTube under Cooper Gallant Fishing. This saves time once the tournament season begins. I also plan to start a new series that deals with traveling to the tournaments and fishing on practice days.
My regular tournament videos show me running to different locations and catching bass. But they don’t reveal how I break down a body of water in practice. I want my viewers to see how I find fish, and why I choose to throw whatever baits I’m fishing.
As always, I’ll be trying to determine where I can catch the five biggest bass on each tournament day. A lot of people bust my chops when I say I had a bad practice but still did well in a tournament. If that happens, you’ll see it in these videos.
These videos won’t be as refined as “The Chase” episodes. I’ll have two or three GoPro cameras running in the boat, and I’ll be mic’d up. There will be a lot of raw, uncut footage, but it will be more educational.
