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Buddy Gross’s top chatterbait tip

It took Buddy Gross a while to come around to the idea. But now, using a ChatterBait offshore is one of his go-to methods. Photos by Seigo Saito

Magic. that is what Bassmaster Elite Series pro Buddy Gross calls his offshore ChatterBait technique. What Gross once was skeptical about became a go-to technique several years ago for the Chickamauga native who has made a living fishing offshore on the Tennessee River and around the country. It works so well he’s tried to keep it a secret — until now.

“We were always slow rolling spinnerbaits on ledges, and the boy that used to fish with me, James Milling, bought our first ChatterBait and I kind of made fun of him,” said Gross, who has two Elite victories to his credit. “He showed me this thing and I asked him, ‘What are you going to do with that?’ I kept throwing the spinnerbait and he’d throw the ChatterBait and started wearing me out. Then I had to ask him for one.”