Campbellsville University anglers Corey Yarish and Brock Catlett have taken the lead on Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn with a total of 31 pounds, 8 ounces.
Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.
Feb. 25, 2026
Magical morning vaults Campbellsville duo to the lead at Sam Rayburn
JASPER, Texas — Catching the “Dirty 30” is something every angler dreams of achieving.
Campbellsville University juniors Corey Yarish and Brock Catlett knocked that goal off their bucket list on Day 1 of the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops, landing a limit weighing 31 pounds, 8 ounces to take a 5-5 lead over Southern Arkansas’s Trace Loe and Levi Loe (26-3).
“This is a surreal feeling. I never expected it. I thought our ceiling would be between 16 and 20 pounds,” Catlett, a Kentuckian, said. “Thirty-pound bags are a very sought after mark as a bass fisherman, and it feels amazing to not only do it, but do it in a Bassmaster event.”
Yarish and Catlett anchored their bag with a 10-12 largemouth, which was just 2 ounces shy of the overall Big Bass of the Day.
The 250-boat field enjoyed temperatures in the high 70s on Day 1, but breezy conditions made it difficult to navigate and made boat positioning a challenge. Even still, 12 limits over 20 pounds hit the scales with 200 teams landing limits.
Yarish calls the Dallas/Fort Worth area home, which allowed him to spend several days on Rayburn before the off-limits period started. This was valuable homework for him and Catlett.
“I pre-practiced down here during winter break and found one of our spots that we were catching them off of,” Yarish said. “We were able to build on that, which helped us do well today.”
Yarish and Catlett did all their work before the winds picked up.
When they arrived at their first area, it took 20 or 25 minutes to locate the school of bass they had found the previous day in practice, but once they did, it was game on. The duo landed 30 bass in a 45-minute stretch, many of which were bigger than what they had caught during the warm-up period.
“It was every cast,” Catlett said.
Yarish landed both the 10-12 and an 8-pounder on back-to-back casts during the flurry. Once they reached the 30-pound mark, the duo guarded the spot before using the afternoon hours to practice.
“Once we located our bass, I got the bait halfway back to the boat and it just felt like dead weight,” Yarish said. “We netted it and realized there were some big bass in the area. Brock caught several limit fillers while I was trying to retie, and once we culled I threw back out there and sure enough the 10 bit.”
While they were the only ones fishing that particular school, there were plenty of boats around the duo all day.
The Campbellsville duo described their magical area as a hard spot within a prespawn staging area. While they used forward-facing sonar to locate their school, they did not utilize it to catch their bass. Three different baits produced the bulk of their Day 1 total.
“These fish are just waiting to go up,” Yarish said. “It is just a hard spot that we are dragging over.”
With the wind expected to calm overnight, Yarish hopes smoother water will position the bass a little better in their best area. He added there are a couple other spots they have in their back pocket as well.
Seth Prather and Jacob Longlois from Drury University landed the Big Bass of the Day, a 10-14 largemouth that anchored their 13th-place limit weighing 19-8.
The full field will launch from Umphrey Family Pavillion starting at 7 a.m. CT on Thursday and return for weigh-in beginning at 3 p.m. The Top 10% of the field will punch their tickets to the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops scheduled for Minnesota’s Leech Lake Aug. 20-22.
Teams will also earn points towards the Legends Trail Team of the Year race. The top finishing team in the division will punch a ticket to the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s.
Jasper Development District No. 1 is hosting this event.
2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops 2/25-2/26
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jasper TX.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Corey Yarish – Brock Catlett Campbellsville University 250
Day 1: 5 31-08 Total: 5 31-08
2. Trace Loe – Levi Loe Southern Arkansas University 249
Day 1: 5 26-03 Total: 5 26-03
3. Cody Abbott – Andrew Blanton Lander University 248
Day 1: 5 22-14 Total: 5 22-14
4. Josh Route – August Kukis University of Wisconsin – Steven 247
Day 1: 5 22-05 Total: 5 22-05
5. Evan Sutton – Jaxson Freeman McKendree University 246
Day 1: 5 21-10 Total: 5 21-10
6. Chase Logue – Mason Darling McKendree University 245
Day 1: 5 20-14 Total: 5 20-14
6. Garrett Ring – Trace Antunes III University of Montevallo 245
Day 1: 5 20-14 Total: 5 20-14
8. Ben Burns – Grant Pursifull Stephen F Austin State Universit 243
Day 1: 5 20-13 Total: 5 20-13
9. Jackson Kulijof – Murray State University 242
Day 1: 5 20-11 Total: 5 20-11
10. Dalton DeFelice – Evan Ludlow University of Montevallo 241
Day 1: 5 20-09 Total: 5 20-09
11. Cole Martin – Griffin Ralph University of Montevallo 240
Day 1: 5 20-04 Total: 5 20-04
12. Nick Pemberton – Jarren Crowder University of Montevallo 239
Day 1: 5 20-03 Total: 5 20-03
13. Seth Prather – Jacob Longlois Drury University 238
Day 1: 5 19-08 Total: 5 19-08
14. Michael Witherup – Connor Bower University of Montevallo 237
Day 1: 5 19-03 Total: 5 19-03
15. Cooper Hughes – Brett Bucolo Florida Gulf Coast University 236
Day 1: 5 18-14 Total: 5 18-14
16. Tyler Chmelar – Kase Kramer Tarleton State University 235
Day 1: 5 18-12 Total: 5 18-12
16. Peyton Sorrow – University Of Montevallo 235
Day 1: 5 18-12 Total: 5 18-12
18. Barrett Bennefield – Kaden Mueck Stephen F Austin State Universit 233
Day 1: 5 18-06 Total: 5 18-06
19. Daylon Milam – James Dubose University of Montevallo 232
Day 1: 5 18-04 Total: 5 18-04
20. Nolan Smith – Cassius Olson University of Montevallo 231
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
21. Scooter Ligon Jr – Logan Fisher Emmanuel College 230
Day 1: 5 18-00 Total: 5 18-00
21. Hunter Russell – Brogan Gregg Wabash Valley College 230
Day 1: 5 18-00 Total: 5 18-00