FLORENCE, Ala. — At yesterday’s weigh-ins, Brody Robison made a bold prediction. A day later, he delivered the goods and took over the lead in the Bassmaster College Classic Cup presented by Lew’s at Wilson Lake.
After placing second on Day 1 with 16 pounds, 14 ounces, the University of Montevallo graduate predicted that the second day’s rainy, windy weather might spur the fish and deliver big-bag potential. Suffice to say, Robison’s limit of 21-10 — the event’s largest bag — fulfilled that expectation.
With a two-day total of 38-8, Robison holds a 1-13 lead over Day 1 leader Peyton Sorrow, his University of Montevallo team partner. Notably Robison and Sorrow qualified for this event by recording a wire-to-wire win in the Strike King Bassmaster College Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, Aug. 20-22 at Minnesota’s Leech Lake.
“Today, the cards were definitely in favor of a big bag being caught,” Robison said. “Honestly I thought there would be a bigger bag caught; I thought someone would catch 23 today.
“I know what this lake is capable of. There are so many giants in here and I knew the weather was gonna get them feeling good and start putting them into position.”
With Hurricane Isaias making landfall in the Florida Panhandle late Friday night, the storm’s diminished remnants moved through Alabama, east of the tournament site. B.A.S.S. delayed the scheduled Day 2 start by 35 minutes to ensure safe conditions. After that, anglers competed in damp, windy weather.
“You just have to keep the ultimate goal in mind,” Robison said of his rain strategy. “At the end of the day this a sport that has no delays, no rainouts, no excuses. Somebody’s gonna catch them, so you gotta work and try to make it you.
“I don’t ever want to complain about something I’ve prayed for. To have the opportunity to be here, I just try to work as hard as I can and persevere through whatever we’re dealt, because that’s just part of it.”
Robison’s productivity started early and he had an unofficial limit of approximately 17 3/4 pounds by 10:30. Throughout the day, he and Sorrow traded blows on BassTrakk, but Robison made a couple of key upgrades and held off his teammate’s challenge.
Robison anchored his bag with a 5-pound, 1-ounce largemouth. His other four were smallmouth.
“Man it was definitely a bonus fish today,” Robison said. “I expected to run across a fish that caliber at some point during this tournament, but for it to work out today, with three other ones over 4 pounds, it was a good time to catch it.
“That fish was my fifth keeper and I ended up making two more culls after that. I made the last cull around 11:30 and then I went practicing for tomorrow.”
Robison said he started his day on what he called a “Hail Mary.” Having found a school of big fish in shallow water willow, he spent his first 45 minutes targeting them with a swim jig.
When that plan failed to produce, he transitioned to his main pattern of working 6- and 7-inch minnow baits on a 3/4-ounce jighead along bluff walls.
While Robison guarded his specifics, he noted that he was catching fish that were in a transitional pattern along the bluffs. Also, the presence of bait schools positioned the fish and narrowed his search.
“It’s more about efficiently stalking,” Robison said. “There are so few over-average bass that it’s about covering ground efficiently and looking for the right things.
“I was fishing the minnow pretty fast and a lot of that was to keep it away from catfish. If I spend too much time unhooking catfish, that’s time I could be looking for my next bass.”
With the weather system passing, Day 3 is forecast to bring clear skies and lighter winds. As Robison points out, the Tennessee Valley Authority will likely move to work the recent rainwater through the system and that’s likely to stimulate the fish.
“They’re gonna turn the current up and that’s gonna make them bite better, but the second day after (a weather system) is always tough, so it’s hard to say what tomorrow is gonna be like,” Robison said. “I’m gonna go swing and catch everything that bites.”
Sorrow took the Day 1 lead with his 19-pound, 6-ounce limit. Adding 17-5, he heads into Championship Sunday with 36-11.
Sorrow said his day required patience and faith, as the early action he enjoyed in the first round did not materialize on Day 2.
“I had to trust God’s timing today, because about 10 o’clock, I didn’t have anything going for me,” Sorrow said. “But He pointed me in the right direction and I caught what I caught pretty late in the day, so all glory to Him.
“I had to stay in it all day today and I’ll probably have to stay in it all day tomorrow too. But I’m excited to get out there. There’s a lot of big ones out there, so we gotta hook up with five of them.”
Ben Burns of Stephen F. Austin State University is in third place with 27-1. His daily weights were 14-6 and 12-11.
Robison holds the Big Bass lead with a 5-1.
Robison joins six other Bassmaster College Series standouts in a seven-angler field competing for a spot in the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, March 19-21 at Lake Hartwell.
Furthermore, the top prize package includes a Toyota Tundra and a fully-rigged Nitro Boat professionally wrapped in the winner’s school logo and colors for use at eligible 2027 events. Additionally, the winner will receive $7,500 in cash and paid entry into one Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender division of the winner’s choice.
Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT at Waterfront Marina & Dry Storage. The weigh-in will be held at the Hilda B Anderson Softball Stadium at 3:15 p.m.
LIVE coverage of the 2026 Bassmaster College Cup presented by Lew’s will air on Bassmaster.com from 8-11 a.m. ET and Noon-3 p.m. ET. Fans can follow all the action throughout the weekend on Bassmaster.com.