Alex Miller Claims Broodmaster Title at Broodstock II
- Hank Veggian
- Sep 22
- 15 min read
Updated: Sep 25
For full photo galleries click visit the Broodstock II Photo Gallery Page.
Final AOY Standings visit the AOY page
Technically the term Broodstock means "the mature adults of a species that are kept specifically for the purpose of breeding." The state fisheries biologists use shock boats to scoop up the biggest bass, that have the best genetics, to then become their "Broodstock" used to spawn the next great generation of bass. At our "Broodstock" we aim to inspire the next great generation of anglers and pass down our "genes" and passion for kayak fishing, while also (hopefully) catching some of these Broodstock-quality fish too! Either way, "Broodstock" is meaningful in so many ways - be it the fish at the end of your line, or a trophy at the end of the weekend, the fellowship and memories of a long and fun KAS season, or just the cool mornings and crisp late summer days. The event signifies one thing for sure, the end of a season and "spawn," of a new season ahead as Drew Gregory announced the 2026 schedule at the Awards show.
The end of this 2025 Kayak Adventure Series presented by GoPro culminated with Broodstock II in Franklin, Pennsylvania. That is where Route 80 and Route 79 bring you to French Creek and the Allegheny River, and where summer met autumn. And for some anglers, it was where the big trophies they dreamed of at the start of the season were placed in their tired, bass-roughened hands.
In sum, Franklin, Pennsylvania and the Oil Region Alliance hosted anglers from seventeen states, who combined for 130 registrations across the three Kayak Adventure Series Realtree Fishing Realtime Leaderboards on TourneyX. Western Pennsylvania and its unique fisheries did more than host us – they rewarded one angler with a record-setting limit in a Kayak Adventure Series tournament. That honor went to Alex Miller, who landed a limit for the ages with 106.25” of Smallmouth Bass. The limit not only crowned him the "Broodmaster" title, but it also earned him a coveted CrossKix Century Belt and GoPro Big Bass Bling.
It also earned Alex a special memory, as he teamed up with his mom Lynn Yester to fish the Torqeedo Team Division, where they took home the third place trophy. It was a fact that stood out during the Finman High School Division awards, too. Again and again, young anglers thanked family and parents for bringing them to the Kayak Adventure Series tournaments this season, their gratitude giving the name “Broodstock” a nice family-oriented twist.
Opening Ceremonies presented by LureNet.com
Anglers had an incredible time at what is becoming one of the best parts of the KAS format, Opening Ceremonies. Everyone met up at Outdoor Allegheny River Services (OARS) right on the banks of the Allegheny River. We were blessed with great food, drinks, fellowship and live music by "Acoustic Earl" and Abby Abbondanza. Several local vendors came out including Gamma Line, Hotfish Baits, Rivertown Woodgrain, Jordan's Kitchen, Trails 2 Ales Brewery and of course our host the Oil Region Alliance.
KAS Anglers were also treated to a very special guest, Dr. Nathan Rigner, who is the Director of Outdoor Recreation for the state of Pennsylvania. He joined us for the Opening Ceremonies (and Bass U Brunch) and had a great welcome speech to kick off the weekend in style!
Bass U Brunch
Another highlight of the event is always the Friday morning Bass U Brunch, a time when it's "off limits" to be on eligible water which gives the anglers (and fish!) a break and a chance to relax, enjoy more food, fellowship and hear an informative seminar from some of the pros. Jeff Little blessed us with an incredibly informative seminar on all things smallmouth bass, river fishing and some of his favorite rod/reel/lure setups to catch them!
The KastKing Individual Angler Division
It is rare, but a fishing tournament can seem to end just as it begins, with one angler being so dominant from the outset that the rest of the field can only hope to finish as runners-up. In fact, just like in all sports when things are unscripted this is the nature and beauty of the unknown and why "they play the game." The worst team can beat the supposed better team, and the most beginner or inexperienced angler can win at any moment as well. Likewise, blowouts happen, and should be appreciated for the incredible and dominant performance that they are!
That was the scenario that Alex Miller presented Broodstock II when at the halfway point of the Afternoon Sesh he had already posted a five-fish limit of 102”. For perspective, Colton Hutchison occupied second place with a healthy 89”. After two hours of competition, the fifth place angler was 23” behind Miller’s total length.
It was a preview of what turned out to be a record-setting run for Alex Miller.
Some of the field regained a bit of ground by late Friday, with Rus Snyders moving into second place with 91.50” and Hutchison holding third place with 90.50”. Would anyone challenge Miller’s total on Saturday? If so, it would be an all time comeback.
Alex Miller answered that question by culling to increase his limit to 105.50” by mid-morning. He called series founder Drew Gregory and asked "What's the all time KAS record?" When Drew told him it was 107 Inches (Ocalapalooza, 2025) he happily replied "Ok, I'm going to stay out here then! Haha." In the meantime, as Miller was focused on setting records, the other competitors shifted focus to fishing hard for prizes and AOY points. It was after all the final day of a close points race that would determine the Nocqua Adventure Gear 2025 Angler of the Year & Torqeedo Team of the Year.
Perennial contender Rus Snyders began the Friday Afternoon Sesh with a small limit of 76.50” and finished the first day with 91.50”. Snyders was not only fishing for the top spot – he was also in contention for one half of the Torqeedo Team of the Year prize and the AOY title. As Saturday wore on, Snyders’ limit of 91.50” began to feel like a log jam in a creek: anglers began stacking up behind him. Josh Brewer moved into fourth place with 89.75”, Jody Queen held fifth with 89.25”, Toby Foster with 89” and so forth, to Chad Claypool in tenth place with 86.75”. It started to feel like one big cull would break the jam in the standings.
That break happened during the awards ceremony. As anglers cycled through the Kayak Kushion hot seat, they described one amazing catch after another. Don Schrader landed his personal best Smallmouth Bass, a 20” tank that he landed on a Z-Man Go Toad (see opening photo of the article). Colton Hutchinson followed Schrader on the hot seat, and noted he landed his biggest Smallmouth Bass of the year at the tournament, while Josh Simms and Matt Ball shared stories of the giant Largemouth Bass they landed at Lake Wilhelm. Simms fish awed the crowd because it was so fat it didn't even look real! Angler after angler and fish after fish, stories of big catches entertained the crowd.
When it was over, Matt Ball had taken third place with 93”, Snyders had second place with 93.5” and Miller was the new Broodmaster! His final limit of 106.25” was, as Drew Gregory correctly called it, a “blowout.”
Miller described his epic tournament result at length. First, he estimated that in terms of weight, his best five probably checked in at around twenty-six pounds. He narrated some of his video footage, explaining that he had “five spots” that he fished. His targets were fish that were “sitting high up in the water column.” He fished for them with a Mooch Minnow and an East Coast Deuce Minnow, picking off fish from schools of twenty or more bass.
Miller’s limit set a new record for a limit of Smallmouth Bass at 106.25 inches and nearly took over the all-time title that was set on largemouth bass, which get much longer.
Nocqua Angler of the Year points Race
While Miller’s victory went from wire-to-wire at the tournament, Rus Snyder’s climb through the 2025 Nocqua Angler of the Year rankings was a true comeback. As he was for most of the season, Adam Coleman was the points leader entering the Broodstock II weekend. As he told it during the awards ceremony: “I struggled today and yesterday, and lost a couple of fish that definitely cost me Angler of the Year. It is what it is. That’s fishing. That’s the fun part about it…” As a result, Coleman left the door open for someone else to take the title, but they would still need an incredible finish, and that someone else was Rus Snyders.
As Drew Gregory noted “No surprise. Rus has won a lot of national [events], but we are a little surprised. Some people didn’t show up because they thought Adam [Coleman] had this thing…” Snyders was in sixth place entering the Broodstock weekend, but to win the title anglers count their two best scores plus the required Broodstock score. Because some anglers sat out the event thinking Coleman would win, they opened the door for Snyders to capitalize on a big day. If they had competed, who knows who would have won?
Snyders walked away with an AOY prize package worth over $10,000, with the main item being a brand new rugged overland kayak fishing trailer from Modern Buggy RV.
Snyders discussed his victory with KAS after the awards ceremony: “My favorite thing about KAS is that it is not one body of water, and you can fish to your strength. At Broodstock we had larger rivers, smaller rivers, a cool marsh area, small creeks and more, like shallow lakes and deep, rocky lakes. In the last hour of practice, I saw close to a hundred fish in a spot on the Allegheny River. I didn’t think there would be a lot of kayaks there but I think eleven people launched there, but they mostly went elsewhere.”
“That was the kind of area that suited me as an angler. I’m a shallow water angler, and this tournament was won fishing deep water with LiveScope. The Kayak Adventure Series gives you those different options, and for me it worked out that I won Angler of the Year by adapting. I didn’t have to adapt as much at the Susky because the river fishing is consistent. But the Florida event was a shallow vegetation area, Texas was different and the Ohio event (Great Midwestivus) also had a range of water. My top three scores (Broodstock II, Great Midwestivus and Ocalapalooza) that counted toward Angler of the Year all came from different fisheries, but the Great Miami River (in Ohio) and the Allegheny River were similar in some ways. I used my Bona Fide RVR at both with my Torqeedo to fish upstream.”
“I also want to note how hard Drew [Gregory] works to put on the events. This week there was Abby playing music and food trucks and prize packages, and the fact that the events are held in these cool venues and theaters makes it special.”
Click here for complete Kastking Individual Event standings from Broodstock II.
On-the-water photos
From the air gallery!
Torqeedo Team Division
TThe Kayak Adventure Series’ Torqeedo Team Division saw lots of growth in 2025. The competition leveled up in relation to that growth, so that every tournament has been a battle to the finish with the finale and Team of the Year (TMOY) race being no exception!
All of the team contenders showed up at Broodstock II – and then some. The Creek Crawlers (Bryan Slaton & Ryan Parker) entered the event with a slight lead, with team Bait & Switch (Adam Coleman and Nate Hall) and team Snyders/Baker (Rus Snyders & Steve Baker). Millertech/KBF and Raccoon Creek Outfitters were there, as were the Creek Crawlers and early season leaders Team Fish-I. They were joined by newcomers like The Real Jewels and Team Jiggle and Plop to form another large field of nearly twenty teams in competition.
Team Find your Own Fish, consisting of Alex Miller and Lynn Yester, took the early lead on Friday during the Afternoon Sesh, posting up 175.75”. Team Snyders/Baker gained some ground by adding 16” to their Friday total. In the meanwhile, Team Millertech/KBF also moved up, keeping pace with and gaining on Snyders/Baker, Finishing the Afternoon Sesh with 161.25” to round out the top three.
All the team came out strong on Saturday morning. It was the end of the year, and anglers wanted trophies to take home. Team Find Your Own Fish added 3.50” to their lead in the early morning, but Snyders Baker and Millertech/KBF moved into the 170’s, and within mere inches of the leader. Team Fishing is Stupid moved into fourth place with 171.25” and team WV/CPA consisting of Matt Ball and Josh Simms moved into fifth overall.
By mid-day the top four teams stayed in that order and a mere 7.25” separated fourth place from first. Snyders/Baker weren’t just fishing for Team of the Year – they moved into within .75” of first place, looking for a Broodstock trophy to take home with their prizes.
In the end, team Find Your Own Fish moved in front of Team Millertech/KBF, into the third spot overall. Powered by Alex Miller’s record setting 106” limit and Lynn Yester’s healthy limit, they finished the day with 180” even, and nearly passing team Snyders/Baker, who finished in second with 180.50”.
What made team Find your Own Fish a bit different than other teams was the fact that it was a mother and son pairing. When Alex stood onstage beside his mom Lynn Yester, she delivered a few unforgettable one-liners. When Drew Gregory discussed her taking credit for the win, he asked yester “Would he be here without you?” She replied “Absolutely. I made him.”
Team Snyders/Baker attributed their finish to solid cooperation and communication. As Steve Baker said onstage, “lots of talking” was the key. Rus Snyders added “I like working as a team and bouncing ideas off of each other.” He added that he had not decided on where to fish until the last hour of practice.
In the end, thanks to a few magical late culls with some big largemouth bass, team WV/CPA came back from fifth place to win the Torqeedo Team Division at Broodstock II! Josh Simms and Matt Ball each contributed 90” or more to their final team total of 183.”
Matt Ball told the crowd that his planned partner cancelled the day before the event. A friend recommended Simms, who coincidentally ended up fishing the same area as Ball. Plus, Simms did not practice at all. The winning duo were on one of the eligible lakes (Wilhelm) and strategically targeting largmouth to get the job done. The contrast between the meticulous planning of team Snyders/Baker and the coincidental pairing of team WV/CPA illustrates how the range of Kayak Adventure Series fisheries introduces a unique wild card dynamic to each and every event.
2025 Torqeedo Team of the Year Race
Team Creek Crawlers, which included reigning Angler of the Year Ryan Parker, took third place in the series. He and his teammate Brian enjoyed a great season, that was punctuated by an even bigger event when Brian and his wife welcomed a child to the world right before The Great Midwestivus.
Team Bait and Switch won second place in the final standings by the smallest of margins. For perspective, Creek Crawlers finished with 286.78 points, while Bait and Switch finished with 287.61 points. “One fish was the difference” they noted when they took the stage. It is a "game of inches," afterall.
Team Snyders/Baker Won Farwide Team of the Year with a final score of 290.04 points. Rus Snyders credited the “diversity of all the fisheries” and his chemistry with his teammate for success. Snyders said the kayak Adventure Series challenges anglers to figure out different types of water to find that “one little hidden gem.” Baker added “it’s a completely different experience having a twelve-year old with you…it was awesome. I am so happy he did well today” for more about Steve’s son, Wally, read about the Finman High School Division below).
Click here for complete Torqeedo team Division standings from BroodstockII.
Top High School Angler presented by FinMan Fishing
In what has become a family dynasty, the Lee family of Minnesota has been a constant presence on stage during the 2025 Kayak Adventure Series. In all, three family members have won trophies, and Broodstock II saw Oliver Lee onstage once again. Oliver took third place in this division by fishing “a wacky rig and flipping docks,” as he told the crowd.
Second place went to Wally Baker who landed a big Smallmouth to secure a trophy. he told the crowd that he caught the bass on a swim jig near a rock wall. Wally, travelled with his dad to KAS events with his father Steve Baker of Team Snyders/Baker, said that the experience was a “cool trip.”
Josiah Bihary won the division with a limit of 76”, barely besting both Lee and Baker. Josiah had expected to find a topwater bite, and when he did not he changed areas. “It was a fun trip, and these tournaments have been a learning experience. It will help me in future tournaments.”
Josiah also thanked his mother for travelling with him to the tournaments. All three anglers who won trophies in this division traveled to events with parents, a “great testimony” as Drew Gregory called it at the awards, to the KAS family spirit.
Z-Man Micro Finesse “Micro-Bag” Tournament
Travis Von Neumann is no stranger to Broodstock. At the inaugural event in 2024, he briefly held the overall lead on the Realtree Fishing Realtime Leaderboard. After a quiet Friday Afternoon Sesh for the Micro-Bag Division, it was Von Neumann who lit up the micro-finesse standings, and started what would be a great race to the finish in the division where your smallest 5 bass (no smaller than 5 inches) determine the winner.
Von Neumann held the lead with 37.75” on Saturday morning. Nate Hall had 38”, while Joshua Brewer had 44.25”. Michigan angler Connor Jewell would also post a limit of 38.5” before it was over. Each angler had five fish, and each angler now faced the challenge of finding smaller bass.
Around noon, it was Von Neumann who posted a cull that took his limit length down to 37”. And he kept culling, first down to 35.50”, then finally to 35.25.” Those incremental culls brought him the victory, a trophy and a paycheck.
He told the crowd at the awards ceremony:
“I tried to catch big fish. I was wading Broken Straw Creek, and I had to cover a ton of water in order to find deep enough pools that even had fish I would try to catch big fish first, and then I would catch a fourteen inch fish. I saw so many small fish swimming around that I just committed to the micro-bag. I took a Z-MAN TRD and cut it in half on a ned rig. And I lost a lot of really nice 5 and 6 inch fish.”
Click here for complete Z-Man Micro-Bag Division standings from Broodstock II.
All Awards Photos Gallery
Day Two Dark Horse presented by Darkhorse Tackle
Dark Horse Tackle rewards the angler who moves up the most from day one to day two. Eric Tracy won the day two Dark Horse trophy, and in doing so became the only angler to win the award twice in 2025. The feat made him the 2025 Dark Horse Champion, an unofficial title that the KAS team gave Eric on stage.
Tracy told the crowd that he had the “worst tournament day of his life” on Friday, but that he rebounded by changing areas. “Today I found them a little bit, but I also lost a few big ones, so that was still disappointing.”
Zach from Dark Horse Tackle congratulated Eric and informed him that he would double the prize for his year-end accomplishment.
GoPro Big Bass Bling Award
Alex Miller won the Broodmaster title and also posted the biggest bass of the tournament. His 21.75" Smallmouth Bass was the kicker fish to his record-setting limit, which earned him the coveted Big Bass Bling and a new GoPro Hero 13 Black.
Autism Anglers Charity Raffle
Raffle kayaks were provided by Wilderness Systems (Atak 120), FeelFree (Custom "Autism" Moken 10) and Old Town (PDL 120). All proceeds went to the Autism Anglers Organization which spreads awareness and acceptance to autism through the sport of fishing. In total we were able to raise nearly $6000 on the season! Thanks to all for their generosity!
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Franklin, PA, Kim, Emily, Mark and the entire team at the Oil Region Alliance. They threw one of the biggest parties that KAS has ever see, offering free food and drinks to the anglers at Opening Ceremonies, Bass U Brunch and before (Pizza & Subs VIP room) and after Awards at the afterparty at Benjamins Roadhouse.
Also a huge thanks goes out to the Barrow-Civic Theater and all of their help putting on an excellent final awards show and Allegheny Toyota who brought a beautiful 2025 Tundra to show off underneath the marquee!
Thanks to PA Bass Nation Kayak Series, Kayak-Anglers and Keystone Kayak Bass Series for all their support of an event that came to visit their state/region.
Huge shout out to Ketch Products for making incredible trophies for us this year, and Finman Fishing for also making trophies for the High School Division and Micro Bag. If you need trophies, these are two companies that can make it happen!
Thanks to Josh Goforth for handling the AOY Standings all year and getting them quickly up to date after each event.
Also to our media team, Luke Marshall, Tyler Bean and Jake Heppner for some incredible photos and videos from the event. Thanks to Jason of Ripple Effect Guide Service for taking Luke and Jake on the water to cover the event on Saturday. Speaking of Jake, huge thanks to Jake Heppner for producing a great event behind the scenes as he always does. Not many get to see how hard the KAS team really works to make it happen.
Of course a big shout out to our "Founder of Fun" Drew Gregory who works hard to ensure the most fun off the water while ensuring and enforcing a fair event on the water.
Additional Info
For more information about the Kayak Adventure Series presented by Go Pro, visit: https://www.kayakadventureseries.com/
To watch the Broodstock II awards ceremony, click here.
Click here to learn more about GoPro cameras.
Click here for complete Kastking Individual Event standings from the Susky 5 Slama-Jama.
Click here for complete Torqeedo team Division standings from Susky 5 Slama-Jama.
Click here for complete Z-Man Micro-Bag Division standings from Susky 5 Slama-Jama.
© 2025 Kayak Adventure Series. All Rights Reserved. First published September 17, 2025.
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