FLORENCE, Ala. (Oct. 6, 2025) – The University of Montevallo duo of Brody Robison of Dawson, Alabama, and Peyton Sorrow of Abbeville, South Carolina, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Pickwick Lake Presented by Columbia PFG Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces. The one-ounce victory earned the Bulldogs’ bass club $2,000 and a qualification into the 2026 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
“We are super excited,” said Robison, a Montevallo grad student. “This was unexpected. We had a decent practice, but a super-inconsistent one. We were expecting to have a decent tournament, but nothing like this.”
The University of Montevallo bass club dominated the event, claiming five of the top 10 spots in the tournament.
“To see our school really come out strong for another event felt really good,” Robison said. “It feels great to contribute to the success our school has had this year, and to be a part of such a strong program.”
Robison said a late boat number forced the team to approach the tournament differently.
“We just kind of rode around the lake and took it easy,” Robison said. “We fished high-percentage structure. We knew it would be hard to get on some of the community places on the lake, so we just got on what we could and didn’t get in any hurry.”
After a couple of early 2 ½- and 3-pounders, Robison and teammate Sorrow finally found success around 10 a.m. when Robison caught a 5-pounder on isolated structure.
“That kind of steered us in the wrong direction, because we thought, ‘OK. This is what we need to be doing,’” Robison said. “So, we pulled up on a stretch that featured isolated structure, but all the fish had left. The fish were just swimming around in the water column; they weren’t feeding. The current has been really inconsistent on the TVA right now, and I think it had just pushed those fish off the structure.”
The Bulldogs focused on utilizing a Queen Tackle L.S. Tungsten Rollin Strollin Ball Jig Head with a Cast Fishing Co. Echo 7.2-inch in 10 to 16 feet of water to boat their bass. Robison said in deeper water the duo switched to an Echo 5.4-inch to achieve a faster fall rate.
Robison said the team moved around the lake and managed to grind out 16 pounds, then at 2:30 returned to the area featuring the isolated structure. More fish had moved into the area, and Sorrows landed a smallmouth close to 6 pounds as well as a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds in the last 30 minutes of competition.
“When Peyton caught that almost-6 smallmouth in the last 30 minutes, we both kind of had that light bulb moment and looked at each other and thought we needed one more 5-pounder to have a shot at winning this thing,” Robison said. “We expected the winning weight to be 23½ to 24 pounds. Then that 5-pounder pushed us up and we ended up needing every ounce.”
The top 10 teams finished:
1st: University of Montevallo – Brody Robison, Dawson, Ala., and Peyton Sorrow, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 23-7, $2,000
2nd: King University – Trey Marco, Morrisville, Pa., and Jake Rowlands, Dalton, Pa., five bass, 23-6, $1,000
3rd: University of Montevallo – Trace Antunes, Henderson, Texas, and Garrett Ring, Greenbrier, Ark., five bass, 22-6, $700
4th: University of Montevallo – Connor Bell, Lisbon, N.Y., and Tucker McCoy, Warrior, Ala., five bass, 21-3, $600
5th: Wabash Valley College – Dalton Phelps, Bloomington, Ill., and Peyton Rose, Flora, Ill., five bass, 20-11, $500
6th: University of North Alabama – Tripp Berlinsky, Florence, Ala., and Bryce Dimauro, Longwood, Fla., five bass, 20-10
7th: University of Montevallo – Connor Bower, Aurora, Ohio, and Michael Witherup, Allison Park, Pa., five bass, 20-3
8th: University of North Alabama – Jackson Bennett, Knoxville, Tenn., and Smith McGregor, Indian Springs, Ala., five bass, 19-15
9th: University of Montevallo – Luke Davis, Bishop, Ga., and Kaden Raichel, Scottsburg, Ind., five bass, 19-13
10th: University of North Alabama – Dylan Nutt and Carter Nutt, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 19-7
The top 38 teams that qualified for the National Championship, along with complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Pickwick Lake Presented by Columbia PFG was hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism. The next tournament for MLF College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Hartwell Presented by Columbia PFG, Oct. 24 in Anderson, South Carolina.
The 2025 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI season features college teams from across the country competing in six regular-season open tournaments. The top 15 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2026 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.