®
Summer 2021
SKPA R OY u AT s KL S IAG n N y HG d T e LE r R s
page 42
HOMETOWN: Nashville, TN
Rus Snyders is arguably the most dominant kayak bass angler in the nation.
Earlier this year, he earned the #1 spot on the Kayak Bass Nation Power Rankings that lists the top 25 kayak anglers based on tournament standings for regional and national tournaments for the prior year. This includes his win at the 2020 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series stop on Clear Lake.
According to TourneyX – dating back to April 2017 – he has amassed the following record:
• 84 total tournaments
• 23 1st place finishes
• 7 2nd place finishes
• 8 3rd place finishes
• 62 top-10 finishes
According to these stats, 27.4% of the time, he wins, 45.2% of the time, he finishes in the top-3 and 73.8% of the time, he finishes in the top-10. That translates into nearly three out of every four tournaments
Photo: Rus Snyders
that he enters, he finishes in the top-10 and that’s impressive.
As his accomplishments show, Snyders is a force to be reckoned with on any body of water. Rivers, lakes, reservoirs, tidal fisheries – it doesn’t matter, he flat out catches them. We caught up with him to learn more about his angling background, what drives him and the secret to his success.
WB: You now call Nashville home, but tell us about your western roots. What would you consider your home waters?
SNYDERS: Prior to moving to Nashville, I was living in the Bay Areas – San Bruno, Calif. My home waters were the California Delta, Clear Lake, Lake Berryessa and Lake Sonoma.
WB: You have made a name for yourself on the kayak scene, but we understand that you have some pretty significant experience fishing out of the big boat.
SNYDERS: I started really getting into bass fishing seriously in late the 1990s. By 2001, I was fishing Pro-Ams as a boater. I was able to secure several top-10 finishes in
the EverStart Series, WON Bass and
ABA circuits. I found my greatest
success on Clear Lake and Lake
Oroville. In 2006, I started guiding
all over Northern California chasing
largemouth and striped bass.
WB: With so many great fisheries and a successful guide business, why did you move to Nashville?
SNYDERS: The cost of living in California kept going up, making it more difficult to make a living guiding. Also, I was looking for something more centrally located to the national fishing scene. I had friends who moved to Nashville prior and the timing was right.
WB: So, what happened next? How did you make the transition to kayak fishing?
SNYDERS: I was amazed at the amount of rivers in Nashville. I