Gross closes well for Bassmaster victory

When the Bassmaster Elite Series finally makes it to Chickamauga Lake for the tournament that has been postponed twice this year and is now scheduled for October in Dayton, Buddy Gross will probably be just as excited about competing on his home water.

Instead of looking for a breakthrough win, though, the Bassmaster Elite rookie from Chickamauga, Georgia, will be looking to add to what is already a very successful first year on the top circuit of B.A.S.S.

In just his second start, Gross won the Bassmaster Elite event that finished Saturday on Lake Eufaula in Alabama, completing a remarkable run that started with him 43rd out of 86 anglers after the first day.

He closed strong, with his daily limit of five keepers weighing in at 27 pounds, 11 ounces, giving him a 20-fish, four-day total of 84-8 — just less than a pound ahead of second-place Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Alabama, the thirdround leader and Bassmaster’s reigning angler of the year. Gross, who won $12,000 for his 11th-place finish at the season opener in February in Florida, won $101,000 at Lake Eufaula, with $1,000 of that a bonus for the final round’s biggest catch (6-13).

As Bassmaster’s release pointed out, the Alabama tourney was the first after the longest unplanned break in series history, and social distancing practices amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak led to Gross being presented the trophy by his family.

While the 47-year-old Gross has several years of experience as a pro angler and some big victories on other circuits, including $100,000 wins on the FLW Tour in 2016 and 2019, this one was still special.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Gross said in the release. “This is something you dream of as a kid because B.A.S.S. is the epitome of fishing — just the staple of the fishing world. To dream about something like this, and then for it to happen so early in my career is amazing.”