Campbell jumps out to early lead at Sam Rayburn 

Image for Campbell jumps out to early lead at Sam Rayburn 
Brody Campbell finished nearly 2 pounds ahead of the pack on Day 1 of the Toyota Series event on Sam Rayburn. Photo by Rob Matsuura. Angler: Brody Campbell.
January 23, 2025 • Justin Onslow • Toyota Series

BROOKELAND, Texas – With temperatures in the low 20s to start the morning of Day 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, 116 boaters and Strike King co-anglers of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southwestern Division set out bundled up but hopeful for another season – and another opener on Big Sam. While the weather wasn’t ideal, the fishing wasn’t far off, or at least that was the case for Day 1 leader Brody Campbell.

Putting together a strong limit of 27 pounds, 1 ounce, Campbell continued to build off a solid 2024 on Rayburn (he finished in the top 30 there in BFL, Toyota Series and Tackle Warehouse Invitationals events last season) and now finds himself nearly 2 pounds in front of Cole Moore in second and 2-1 ahead of 2024 Toyota Series Championship winner Hayden Marbut.

As good a day as Campbell had, though, it wasn’t all by design. He didn’t have a great practice amidst unusually cold weather and rising water levels, and his Thursday on Rayburn didn’t even start until everyone else had been fishing for nearly two hours.

Despite missing a couple of hours worth of fishing on Day 1, Campbell managed to claim the lead. Photo by Rob Matsuura

“This morning, my HOT FOOT (foot throttle) broke, so I had to go buy one from the store down the road and got rigged up and got on the water about 9 o’clock,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting anything. Then the first fish I caught was an 8-pounder. It was kind of a blessing of a day. I was expecting maybe 14 pounds or something and I got lucky and stumbled across a couple big ones.”

Paired with the 8-pounder to start his day, Campbell also added a 7-pounder, a couple 4s and a 3 – and nearly had another 7- or 8-pounder that he lost. Once he had about 25 pounds, the big ones were all Campbell targeted on his forward-facing sonar.

“I didn’t see many fish,” he said. “I only caught eight or nine fish and they were just big. I wasn’t expecting to see a whole lot of fish. I’m mainly looking for big ones now that I know there’s big ones there. Tomorrow I’ll be hunting for bigger fish.”

Tomorrow might be a good day for it. The forecast calls for a small warming trend that could reposition Campbell’s fish and make them easier to catch. On Thursday, they were mostly out deep and deeper in the water column. He thinks they could be higher in the water column and easier to catch on Friday.

That also means, though, that weights might tick up a bit across the board as the tournament goes on. Nine boaters caught 20 pounds or more on Day 1, and there’s a good chance that number increases with the warmer weather tomorrow.

“Friday’s looking nice and calm with good weather,” Campbell said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone catches a really big bag tomorrow. We’re going to have to step on the gas and not let up. I’m looking for about a 30-pound bag tomorrow and keep this thing going.”

As for how Campbell caught his fish, it was all pretty standard stuff for Rayburn, especially this time of year – an umbrella rig and a jighead minnow on select offshore spots. He also did some looking around up shallow around drains, but to no avail. 

The Southwestern Division opener is loaded with local hammers and quality touring pros. If he wants to have a shot at fishing for a big payday on Saturday, Campbell knows he needs to keep the momentum rolling.

“I think I’m starting to understand Rayburn,” he said. “It’s just a lot different this time around because the water level’s a lot different. I got down here and just re-learned the lake with a different water level.

Still, with the size of fish that live in Rayburn, big bags can happen at any time and in any conditions.

“Make the right casts and make the right presentations and it can happen out here,” Campbell said.

Top 10 Pros

1. Brody Campbell – 27-1 (5)
2. Cole Moore – 25-3 (5)
3. Hayden Marbut – 25-0 (5)
4. Kaden Mueck – 22-10 (5)
5. Chad Mrazek – 22-9 (5)
6. Colby Miller – 22-7 (5)
7. Mike Hawkes – 22-5 (5)
8. Nick LeBrun – 21-1 (5)
9. Chris McCall – 20-8 (5)
10. Theron Caldwell – 19-12 (5)

Complete Results