Rus Snyders is a highly accomplished professional kayak angler known for his consistent success in competitive bass fishing tournaments. Originally from California and now based in Tennessee, Snyders has become one of the leading figures in kayak fishing. He has won several prestigious titles, including the Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year (AOY) in 2023 and 2024, marking the first time anyone has repeated as AOY in the series. He has also won national championships, such as the 2023 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship.
Snyders excels in shallow-water fishing but will also fish deeper water when necessary. He used his skills to adapt to various conditions and fisheries across the country. The lakes fished in the Bassmaster Kayak Series the past two seasons were suited for shallow-water power fishing. His strategic approach involves targeting ambush points and feeding areas from his Bonafide PWR129 kayak, which has led him to top finishes in many tournaments.
He is also recognized for his precision and efficiency, hallmarks of his competitive style. According to Snyders, “My success was attributed to consistency and making adjustments when needed.” He added, “Sometimes it is luck, and other times plans work out.” Apart from his competitive success, Rus is sponsored by several outdoor and fishing companies, including Bonafide Kayaks, Torqeedo, IROD fishing rods and Dakota Lithium Batteries.
Many of the lures that were used during the series were created personally by Rus. He often tinkers with buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, blade baits and jigs. Below are some of Snyder’s top baits used to earn his latest AOY title across the country.
Lake Murray
With prespawn conditions on Lake Murray in South Carolina, a Z-Man Texas-rigged Mag FattyZ played a big role in catching bass for AOY Rus Snyders. His moving baits included a Spro Little John, a 1.5 hand-painted squarebill and a white homemade bladed jig with a Strike King Rage Menace trailer.
Possum Kingdom Lake
Possum Kingdom Lake is well known for its giant bass, and Snyders once again used a Texas-rigged Z-Man Mag FattyZ rigged with a 1/8 and 3/16-ounce bullet weight and a Berkley Fusion low-profile worm hook. He worked brushpiles in 5 to 12 feet of water. Another enticing and successful bait was a Texas-rigged beaver style plastic with a homemade punch skirt.
Lake Guntersville
A postspawn bite was found at Lake Guntersville in grass flats. A Gambler Popping Frog gave Snyders some exciting blowups. A Strike King Rage Menace Texas-rigged bait with a bluegill-style punch skirt added to its profile proved to be a great presentation to catch those Guntersville monsters.
A major part of his success was the Lucky Craft 2.5 squarebill ripped through the grass on a 6-foot, 9-inch IRod Genesis 3 paired with 15-pound line. This was the ticket for some great bites. For longer casts Snyders used a 7-foot Gabes RipRap Special Gen 3 with 15-pound-test line in the grass.
While numerous anglers threw either a Choppo or Whopper Plopper for topwater bites, Snyders chose to use a Crock-O-Gator Buzzbait with a Z-Man Goat trailer in the morning and a weightless Senko or Z-Man Bang StickZ on a Neko rig after the sun came out.
Caddo Lake/Lake Bistineau
With fall conditions emerging on Caddo and Bistineau lakes near Shreveport, La., a slugfest ensued among the anglers who fished this final Bassmaster Kayak Series event in 2024. Due to the pressure on Bistineau earlier in the week, Snyders chose to fish Caddo on Day 1 of the tournament. He found a few good fish there.
On Day 2, Snyders headed to Bistineau where most of the big fish were caught by numerous anglers during the tournament. Snyders had much success with his homemade spinnerbait and bladed jig and a Missle Baits Spunk Shad trailer with his “Snyders Sniper” iRod. A Lucky Craft 2.5 squarebill proved to be successful as well.
Snyders is looking forward to the 2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series schedule which will provide numerous new challenges for anglers from all across the country.
