Hail Mary strategy pays off for Robison, Sorrow on Day 1 at Leech Lake
WALKER, Minn. — Brody Robison and Peyton Sorrow made around 20 casts during their three days of practice for the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship at Leech Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops. Instead, they did as much scanning as they could looking for cover that might hold big smallmouth.
It was admittedly a Hail Mary strategy, but it’s one that has the Montevallo duo on top of the leaderboard.
Robison and Sorrow battled strong winds and big waves to bring in 24 pounds, 1 ounce of smallmouth on Day 1 at Leech Lake, a fairly unknown body of water to much of the College Series field. The Montevallo duo will carry a 1-6 advantage over second-place Easton Drennon and Chase McCarter into Day 2.
“We were just able to break down the lake as the day went on,” Robison said. “We had a lot of places to check, and a lot of them were empty, but we just needed a couple bites. We had an idea of where the big ones would be sitting.”
It’d be awesome to win, especially with Brody,” Sorrow said. “We’ve spent a lot of time together and put in a lot of hard work. It would be awesome for it to pay off in a tournament like this.”
After finishing fifth in Legends Trail points during the regular season, Sorrow and Robison entered Leech Lake tied for eighth in the overall Team of the Year standings. Knowing they were likely in too deep of a hole to win TOY and claim a spot in the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s that way, they went all in on a strategy that would either produce a big bag or send them home empty handed.
“We were just trying to stay around the bigger bites and not have to filter through so many fish. It was a swing for the fence tactic, and it worked today,” Robison said. “We had stuffed marked in all depth ranges. As the weather changes, we can adjust and follow the conditions. It is more efficient to cast at fish that are comfortable rather than bass that aren’t.
“We’ve never won a Bassmaster event. We’ve been really close before, and we want to win.”
It wasn’t easy by any means, Robison and Sorrow remarked. When they reached their starting area, they only caught three keepers before the southwest wind became too strong to fish in and didn’t fill out their final limit until 12:30 p.m.
But the five bass they caught were the right size.
“It was honestly a lot slower than expected, but every bite we got was the right one,” Robison said. “We held out in (our first area) as long as we could, until we couldn’t keep the trolling motor in the water. We left with three fish and ran new water until we found two more good ones then culled one time.”
One presentation produced all their bites, but paying attention to specific, niche details from their practice period was essential.
“We have noticed little details that have shown us some bigger fish,” Sorrow said. “For the most part though, it revolves around rock. They are eating crawfish mostly, I think, but there are baitfish and perch around. I’m sure they take what they can get when there are big waves and a lot of water movement.”
While the majority of the field tried their hand at smallmouth fishing, McCarter and Drennon knew from the moment they qualified they would be hunting for big largemouth. It wasn’t until the final afternoon of practice that the Carson-Newman duo found their primary area.
“We never fished for smallmouth in practice,” McCarter said. “We wanted to keep to our strengths. It took us a little while, but there are good ones in our area. There’s good quantity and quality.”
On Day 1, the duo caught between 10 and 15 keepers on their way to their 22-11 total, which included a 5-8 largie that claimed Big Bass of the Day honors as well as another 5-pounder. Three presentations caught the bulk of their bass.
“It was awesome. We found that hot area the last day of practice and didn’t know what it was going to give up,” Drennon said. “The first one we caught was 5 pounds, and we thought it might be a good day. The train kept rolling and we got to what we needed to.”
Their bite revolves around vegetation, but similar to the smallmouth, depth didn’t seem to necessarily matter.
“I think we just have a really good area found,” Drennon said. McCarter added, “There are a lot of fish there, but there are a lot of places for them to hide. I think it is possible to repeat (though).”
Their Carson-Newman teammates Nicholas DellaPorta and Drew Pitts are third with all smallmouth weighing 22-3.
“We put a lot of preparation into this tournament,” Pitts said. “We got in the right rotation this morning and it happened quick.”
By 10 a.m., DellaPorta and Pitts completed their bag and were able to find some new areas they could target on Day 2. With nearly 30 rods on the deck, Pitts and DellaPorta moved between mid-depth and deeper rock structures. DellaPorta calls Lake Champlain home, and that helped him and Pitts figure out Leech Lake to some extent.
“It is similar in that they get on boulders, but Champlain has so many smallmouth. This place you really have to grind,” he said.
Team of the Year leaders Grant Pursifull and Ben Burns are fourth with 21-15 while Evan Sutton and Jaxson Freeman from McKendree are fifth with 21-2.
The full field of 135 anglers will launch from the Walker Public Dock at 6:30 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. The Top 12 teams at the end of the Day 2 weigh-in will advance to Championship Saturday and the tournament winners will punch their ticket to the College Classic Bracket. The overall Team of the Year will also be crowded and claim their spot in the Bracket.
The Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting this event.
2026 Bassmaster College Series
2026 Bassmaster College Series
2026 Bassmaster College Series
2026 Bassmaster College Series
2026 Bassmaster College Series
2026 Bassmaster College Series
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2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops 8/20-8/22
Leech Lake, Walker MN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Brody Robison – Peyton Sorrow University of Montevallo 250
Day 1: 5 24-01 Total: 5 24-01
2. Easton Drennon – Chase McCarter Carson-Newman University 249
Day 1: 5 22-11 Total: 5 22-11
3. Nicholas DellaPorta – Drew Pitts Carson-Newman University 248
Day 1: 5 22-03 Total: 5 22-03
4. Ben Burns – Grant Pursifull Stephen F Austin State Universit 247
Day 1: 5 21-15 Total: 5 21-15
5. Evan Sutton – Jaxson Freeman McKendree University 246
Day 1: 5 21-02 Total: 5 21-02
6. Ethan Fields – Lane Stephens McKendree University 245
Day 1: 5 19-07 Total: 5 19-07
7. Andrew Blanton – Wyatt Gabehart Lander University 244
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
8. Jerry Brumbaugh Jr. – Quade Lobo Adrian College 243
Day 1: 5 18-14 Total: 5 18-14
8. Banks Buck – Jack Gioffre Dallas Baptist University 243
Day 1: 5 18-14 Total: 5 18-14
10. Hogan Benson – Jackson Pruett USC – Union 241
Day 1: 5 18-10 Total: 5 18-10
11. Evan Fields – Noah Dabney Campbellsville University 240
Day 1: 5 18-06 Total: 5 18-06
12. Bryson Dotson – Victor Alford Tennessee Wesleyan University 239
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
13. Dallas Copeland – Mario Botan Texas A&M University 238
Day 1: 5 17-03 Total: 5 17-03
14. Scooter Ligon Jr – Logan Fisher Emmanuel University 237
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
15. Brennan Berglund – Colton White University of Montevallo 236
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
15. Dylan Sorrells – Thomas Turnbull University of Montevallo 236
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
17. Barrett Bennefield – Kaden Mueck Stephen F Austin State Universit 234
Day 1: 5 16-12 Total: 5 16-12
18. Braci Ault – Brody Ault Wabash Valley College 233
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
18. Lane Clark – Tallis Morrison Erskine College 233
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
18. James Dubose – Daylon Milam University of West Alabama 233
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
18. Justin Frey – Colby Carrier Bethel University 233
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
18. Peyton Harris – Dalton Head University of Montevallo 233
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
18. RJ Sanger IV – Campbellsville University 233
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
24. Ethan Burnette – Cameron Dials Kentucky Christian University 227
Day 1: 5 16-08 Total: 5 16-08
25. Wills Urquhart Jr – Evan Ainslie Lander University 226
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
25. Caden Williamson – Bryce Distefano LSU – Shreveport 226
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
27. Garrett Ring – Trace Antunes III University of Montevallo 224
Day 1: 5 16-01 Total: 5 16-01
28. Ethan Thoele – Brody Thoele Drury University 223
Day 1: 5 16-00 Total: 5 16-00
29. Tanner Paumen – Logan Allen Bryan College 222
Day 1: 5 15-14 Total: 5 15-14
30. Tanner Wolf – Connor Moon Southwestern Michigan College 221
Day 1: 5 15-09 Total: 5 15-09
31. Nicholas Cernosek – Tyler Gentry Texas A&M University 220
Day 1: 5 15-08 Total: 5 15-08
32. Hunter Owens – Jackie Hatfield Carson-Newman University 219
Day 1: 5 15-07 Total: 5 15-07
33. Lane Parker – Kaden Casey Carson-Newman University 218
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
34. Jose Alten – Wesson Vint Adrian College 217
Day 1: 5 14-15 Total: 5 14-15
35. Elijah Kelley – Kyle Smith Kentucky Christian University 216
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
35. Cooper Kennell – Eli Christian Texas A&M University 216
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
37. Joah Coley – Nathan Harris Davidson-Davie Community College 214
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
37. Ridge Faircloth – Max Hondorp Troy University 214
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
39. Cassius Olson – Nolan Smith University of Montevallo 212
Day 1: 5 14-12 Total: 5 14-12
40. Trey McMeen – Dylan Armstrong East Texas Baptist University 211
Day 1: 5 14-10 Total: 5 14-10
41. Michael Gammons – Colby Elliott Emmanuel University 210
Day 1: 5 14-09 Total: 5 14-09
42. Jake Lovingood – Bryson Hatcher Bryan College 209
Day 1: 5 14-06 Total: 5 14-06
43. Caleb Neu – Bethel University 208
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
43. Chase Wodzinski – Trenton Carey Lander University 208
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
45. Harrison McCall – Cameron Yates Lander University 206
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
46. James Sumrell – Zach Knight Carson-Newman University 205
Day 1: 5 14-01 Total: 5 14-01
47. Barrett Choquette – Troy University 204
Day 1: 5 13-15 Total: 5 13-15
48. Chase Logue – Mason Darling McKendree University 203
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
49. Ryan Small – David Buccafuri Penn State University 202
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
50. Connor Dunn – Cullum Brown Texas A&M University 201
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
50. Phillip Herring – Parker O’Bryan University of West Alabama 201
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
50. Chandler Howell – Clayton Ellis Blue Mountain Christian Universi 201
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
50. Reece Keeney – Brantley Anders Kentucky Christian University 201
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
54. Matthew Bennett – Austin Denmark Faulkner University 197
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
54. Hunter Hamilton – Tyler Morris LSU – Shreveport 197
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
54. Landon Watts – Josiah Shockley Northwestern State University 197
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
57. John Klanchar – Ian Carter LSU – Shreveport 194
Day 1: 5 13-00 Total: 5 13-00
58. Triston Richardson – Johnny Hudson Jr LSU – Shreveport 193
Day 1: 5 12-15 Total: 5 12-15
59. JD McBroom – University of Alabama 192
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
60. Carson Falk – Tennessee Wesleyan University 191
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
60. Ryan Foster – Henry Fleddermann McKendree University 191
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
62. Nathan Preston – Graham Flaherty Auburn University 189
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
63. Zion Dunaway – Andrew Krintz Purdue University 188
Day 1: 5 12-05 Total: 5 12-05
63. Caleb Edwards – Jayden Lintner Emmanuel University 188
Day 1: 5 12-05 Total: 5 12-05
65. Caden Gettys – Wes Smith II Catawba Valley Community College 186
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
65. Gavin Robinson – Tarleton State University 186
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
67. Will Wester – Jackson Thomas Emmanuel University 184
Day 1: 4 12-03 Total: 4 12-03
68. Jake Mantovani – Dillon Robertshaw Missouri State University 183
Day 1: 4 12-02 Total: 4 12-02
69. Tyler Zwick – Ryan Kahut Adrian College 182
Day 1: 4 12-01 Total: 4 12-01
70. Grayson Wilson – Jaxon Funneman Wabash Valley College 181
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
71. Joe Vaulton – Walker LaRue Carson-Newman University 180
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
72. Waylin Hardison – Blue Mountain Christian Universi 179
Day 1: 4 11-13 Total: 4 11-13
73. Blake Wheat – Zach Helton Carson-Newman University 178
Day 1: 3 11-12 Total: 3 11-12
74. Nolan Gray – Riley Brown Carson-Newman University 177
Day 1: 3 11-10 Total: 3 11-10
75. Ethan Evatt – Bryson Gurley USC – Union 176
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
75. Anderson Jones – Lander University 176
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
75. Coleman Stewart – Keenan Stewart Campbellsville University 176
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
78. Benjamin Wesson – Luke Farmer Central Alabama Community Colleg 173
Day 1: 4 11-04 Total: 4 11-04
79. Kole Weir – Andrew Terry Bryan College 172
Day 1: 4 11-00 Total: 4 11-00
80. Nathan Baldwin – Will Smith University of Alabama 171
Day 1: 5 10-06 Total: 5 10-06
81. Maxwell Trotter – Kai Barnett McKendree University 170
Day 1: 4 10-04 Total: 4 10-04
82. Luke Wyle – Trey Richardson III Auburn University 169
Day 1: 4 10-02 Total: 4 10-02
83. Josh Route – August Kukis UW Stevens Point 168
Day 1: 4 09-14 Total: 4 09-14
84. Clayton Easter – Tarleton State University 167
Day 1: 4 09-13 Total: 4 09-13
85. Jack Stephens – Angelo Malek McKendree University 166
Day 1: 3 09-13 Total: 3 09-13
86. Riley Faulkner – Szymon Piton Carson-Newman University 165
Day 1: 3 09-12 Total: 3 09-12
87. Cody Domingos – Mason Thompson University of Tennessee 164
Day 1: 3 09-04 Total: 3 09-04
88. Hayden Williams – Chase Rogers USC – Union 163
Day 1: 4 09-03 Total: 4 09-03
89. Peyton Dunn – Luke Mcguffin Emmanuel University 162
Day 1: 3 09-01 Total: 3 09-01
90. Tyler Chmelar – Tarleton State University 161
Day 1: 3 09-00 Total: 3 09-00
91. Noah Haas – Jace French Purdue University 160
Day 1: 4 08-11 Total: 4 08-11
92. Dylan May – Landon Myers Carson-Newman University 159
Day 1: 3 08-11 Total: 3 08-11
93. Connor Hall – Carson Belville McKendree University 158
Day 1: 3 08-10 Total: 3 08-10
94. Blake Bullock – Caden Alexander Blue Mountain Christian Universi 157
Day 1: 4 08-06 Total: 4 08-06
95. Hunter Russell – Wabash Valley College 156
Day 1: 4 08-01 Total: 4 08-01
96. Hunter Brewer – Fisher Heard University of North Alabama 155
Day 1: 3 08-01 Total: 3 08-01
96. Jackson Fuller – Grant Steinauer Auburn University 155
Day 1: 3 08-01 Total: 3 08-01
98. Xander Patton – Stephen Brooks Emmanuel University 153
Day 1: 3 08-00 Total: 3 08-00
99. Matthew Gunn – Matthew Massey Erskine College 152
Day 1: 3 07-12 Total: 3 07-12
100. Jacob Longlois – Seth Prather Drury University 151
Day 1: 2 07-10 Total: 2 07-10
101. Evan Newell – Hunter Olivet Carson-Newman University 150
Day 1: 2 07-07 Total: 2 07-07
102. Brycen Williamson – Reed Rooke Erskine College 149
Day 1: 2 07-06 Total: 2 07-06
103. Brice Hudler – Roy Crush IV Texas A&M University 148
Day 1: 3 06-15 Total: 3 06-15
104. Eli Jaime – Owen Nepple Wabash Valley College 147
Day 1: 2 06-14 Total: 2 06-14
105. Patrick Monahan – Murray State University 146
Day 1: 2 06-11 Total: 2 06-11
106. Nevan Osburn – Oklahoma State University 145
Day 1: 2 06-05 Total: 2 06-05
107. Fisher Carver – Cohen Cravey BrewtonñParker Christian Univers 144
Day 1: 2 06-04 Total: 2 06-04
108. Kolby Angell – Bryson Dover University of Montevallo 143
Day 1: 2 06-03 Total: 2 06-03
109. Jared Hubbard – Cole Moulton Lander University 142
Day 1: 2 06-02 Total: 2 06-02
110. Brady Biles – Cody Mullis St Johns River State College 141
Day 1: 2 06-00 Total: 2 06-00
111. Hunter Slone – Barrett Newton Tennessee Tech University 140
Day 1: 2 05-14 Total: 2 05-14
112. Wes Kinard – Drew Lee University of Alabama 139
Day 1: 2 05-13 Total: 2 05-13
113. Trace Loe – Levi Loe Southern Arkansas University 138
Day 1: 2 05-12 Total: 2 05-12
114. Garrett Cromer – Brett Mouw University of Montevallo 137
Day 1: 3 05-11 Total: 3 05-11
115. Carl Robbins – Riley Motrych Murray State College 136
Day 1: 2 05-09 Total: 2 05-09
116. Dalton DeFelice – Evan Ludlow University of Montevallo 135
Day 1: 2 05-02 Total: 2 05-02
117. Matt Boerboom – University of Montevallo 134
Day 1: 2 04-12 Total: 2 04-12
118. Michael Witherup – Brody Mitchell University of Montevallo 133
Day 1: 1 03-15 Total: 1 03-15
118. Corey Yarish – Brock Catlett Campbellsville University 133
Day 1: 1 03-15 Total: 1 03-15
120. Thomas Smith – Kaleb Butts USC – Union 131
Day 1: 1 03-14 Total: 1 03-14
121. Cole Petroff – Noah Loxley Tennessee Tech University 130
Day 1: 1 03-09 Total: 1 03-09
122. Evan Powell – Andrew Turner Carson-Newman University 129
Day 1: 1 03-06 Total: 1 03-06
123. Walker Griffith – Mason George Snead State Community College 128
Day 1: 1 03-03 Total: 1 03-03
123. Brayden Hoehn – Luke Rokavec Campbellsville University 128
Day 1: 1 03-03 Total: 1 03-03
125. Cole Russell – Ty Trentham University of Tennessee 126
Day 1: 1 03-01 Total: 1 03-01
126. Hoyt Nicely – Brady Pinwar Adrian College 125
Day 1: 1 03-00 Total: 1 03-00
127. Lane Evans – Tyler Gross Purdue University 124
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
128. Caleb Coleman – Drury University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Zack Cooper – University of Montevallo 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Champ Morales – Grayson Aguillard Southeastern Louisiana Universit 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Brady Osborn – Connor Racine Adrian College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Tucker Siminak – McKendree University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Garrett Sullivan – Hayes Pate Faulkner University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Peyton Walls – Aiden Futral Faulkner University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
128. Luke Wenger – Dallas Baptist University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
——————————
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 503 1512-11
——————————
72 503 1512-11
