Ryan Parker likes competition, but he likes adventure even more. He doesn’t mind the trophies, either, but show him a map of new water and he will admit there are few spots he won’t want to explore. By opening all these options to anglers, the Kayak Adventure Series was made for anglers who love a new research and scouting challenge - anglers like Ryan Parker. It's fitting that he has learned to rule out certain bodies of water before he ever gets to these fisheries because using the Farwide map, in combination with other pre-fishing research tools, is becoming "key" to successful KAS anglers.
But when you talk with Parker at length, you get the sense that what he loves most of all is the service component of being an ambassador of the sport. A U.S. Marine, Parker knows a thing or two about sacrifice and selflessness. When we talked about his 2024 season, he shared the story being at a crossroads in his professional life and making the transition to becoming a first responder. He started that story with “I love helping other people.”
Those are some of the qualities that make Parker a fitting ambassador for our sport. It’s also why he is the perfect person to be the first ever Kayak Adventure Series Angler of the Year.
The inaugural season of the Kayak Adventure Series introduced anglers and teams to new waters and new formats. Offering instruction and fellowship, competition and camaraderie, the season spanned six incredible events on scenic, out-of-the-way fisheries.
And when the season ended at Broodstock in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Parker took home the Farwide Angler of the Year crown which included the UBCO electric motorbike in the 10K prize package. To reach that goal, he won the Torqeedo individual event two times (at Whitehall, MI and Towanda, PA) and the Boonedox Big Bass Bling award for a 22” Smallmouth Bass, the biggest of the Whitehall, Michigan tournament. And together with Steve Baker, Parker also won the Farwide Top Team category and its 5k prize package, making it a sweep for Parker in the main trophy categories of the inaugural Kayak Adventure Series season sponsored by GoPro. In terms of competitive accomplishment, he brought home as much as any kayak angler can dream to win.
Like every Kayak Adventure Series angler, Parker paddled countless miles of pristine, rarely pressured fisheries. He joined fellow competitors to celebrate award ceremonies in the historic theaters, of America’s most scenic small towns. From Shoaliepalooza in Thomaston, Georgia to Wild at Whitehall, Michigan, from Ozarkana in Poplar Bluff to Sauk Prairie, WI, Kayak Adventure Series angler fished a trail like no other, a trail where the emphasis is family and fun as much as it is fierce competition.
Parker smiled through it all. He’s always smiling in photos, despite the long road trips and the bad weather. His passion shines through at every moment, and it is contagious. We caught up with him to ask about his season, what he learned from the Kayak Adventure Series and how he navigated new formats and made new friends. We also asked him about his plans for the 2025 Kayak Adventure Series season.
Shoaliepalooza 2024
KAS: How did your Kayak Adventure Series season start?
Ryan Parker: I had actually written off [the first event] Shoaliepalooza. I was at home on Wednesday evening and my wife asked why I wasn’t going. So I decided to drive down, because fishing in nature is part of why I go, part of the healing process from my time in the Marine Corps. So I went down with zero practice and just a handful of baits. I finished in 20th place, which was not bad. And it confirmed some of the things I was doing during my year off.
KAS: What did you do during that year off?
Ryan Parker: I went back to flowing water. I went back to my fly-fishing experience, where you study bug hatches and watch for ants falling from branches. Like I said, I got rid of things. If I couldn’t stuff it in my pockets it wasn’t coming with me. I love some lake bites, but if I have an option I am going up a river. So I went back to single-access with just a boat and my truck. I started experimenting with inflatables, too, that I can pack on my e-bike and shuttle myself up and down a river. I kept looking for places to pull that off in the Kayak Adventure Series, but I was working with my teammates, too
KAS: Was this your first time fishing a full season of a national trail series?
Ryan Parker: It was my first time committing to a national trail series. I had done a few Hobie B.O.S. events, a Bassmaster Classic and some KBF stuff, but this was the first time I went all in. But I took a year off to be with my kid, and I was also feeling burned out from fishing a lot. I was traveling every weekend and I spent a lot of time doing on-line tournaments. Taking a year off helped me fall in love again with the sport. I simplified. Two-three rods, a pocketful of terminal tackle, some hard baits - that’s all I would bring to fish. Going back to those roots, and taking that step back, allowed the puzzle pieces to fall into place. I think outside the box a lot.
KAS: Kayak Adventure Series seems perfect for an angler like you because of its diverse rules. Tell me about some of those, like the portaging rule. Did that change your approach?
Ryan Parker: I realized something at Broodstock. I placed second to Jerred [Matthews], who dragged his boat for three miles into a wilderness area. If I am going to lose, I want to lose to that guy who is 100% in his element. I looked for opportunities to do things like that all season long. When you open up the playing field the way Drew Gregory has with Kayak Adventure Series, it helps me rule out water, too.
Ryan Parker (Wild at Whitehall, 2024)
KAS: You fished a lot of water in 2024. Tell us your favorite memories from each event.
Shoaliepalooza (Thomaston, GA)?
Ryan Parker: My practice time was the Friday Afternoon Sesh. I took that into Saturday at a shoal forty miles from hwere I practiced, and my favorite moment was when I reached the shoal and realized I was alone. It was dark but when I got into the shoal proper, I parked in a quiet spot, surrounded by whitewater, and I threw that big wake bait and hooked into my first Shoal Bass.
Wild Whitehall (Whitehall, MI)?
Ryan Parker: That’s easy: catching a 22” Smallmouth. I said to my teammate “if that’s the last fish I catch all day, I’m good.”
Ozarkana (Poplar Bluff, MI)?
Ryan Parker: I think my favorite thing was being able to fish those rivers and creeks that were on my radar since my fly-fishing days.
Fiesta on the Susky (Towanda, PA)?
Ryan Parker: Where I won the event, on a bluff wall. I found it within fifteen minutes during practice, and I thought “this is too close to the launch. Someone is gonna find it.” It was such an easy place to find. I slept like garbage because I was wondering if someone else had found it. It was one of those magical spots. When I went back during the tournament, I caught a 19.5” bass on one of my first casts. That’s when I knew…
Wisconsin Riverfest (Sauk Prairie, WI)?
Ryan Parker: Two things. First, learning how to fish those unique sand drops. Second, I went off the grid, up a tributary, and found what I expected to find. You have moments when you apply things you know, and that was one of those moments. The fish were there but I didn’t execute. It fed me the momentum I needed late in the season when we are all tired. It was my worst finish but it gave me confidence to do my thing.
Broodstock (Bowling Green, KY)?
Ryan Parker: This was similar to the Susky. Broodstock spoke to me. It had tailraces, dams and gizzard shad-fed Smallies. I found fish in crystal clear water before Helene blew it up. At the tournament, we went the extra mile to find a launch, because I knew where the fish would be, from a general area standpoint. I was looking at flows and predicting release from the dams, because I knew the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wanted to keep the lake at a certain level, and they are gonna do that as early as they can. That prediction helped me catch 90-plus inches during the time I fished that Friday, and that freed up the pressure, so my teammate [Steve Baker] could get the bites he needed for the team event. It was time on the water coming together with experience.
KAS: Aside from the fishing, what was your impression of the Kayak Adventure Series events? Did you attend any Bass U Brunches, for instance?
Ryan Parker: I did attend one. I didn’t want the information I learned to make me second guess myself on the water, but I want to go back and watch those amazing guests. It’s always cool to get someone else’s perspective. I heard Rus [Snyders] talk, for example, and he gave up some cool secrets. The brunches are hugely worthwhile in that way, because we are always learning as fishermen. You can always learn more, not just at seminars but also from the fellowship and just hanging out afterwards.
The fellowship and sharing of information are a big part of Kayak Adventure Series. Talking with anglers from Minnesota or the Upper Peninsula taught me so much about those fisheries. For me, the format that Drew [Gregory] and everyone put together brings out the very best at every event. I met so many people. Now I want to go to Chicago and fish with guys like Nick Burns, or go down South to fish with Tim [Perkins] and Lance [Coley] and see what they do. The Kayak Adventure Series brings everyone to that level. We are all just tackle nerds and fishing junkies.
Bass U Brunch (Speaker: Kristine Fischer) Wisconsin Riverfest, 2024
KAS: What does 2025 look like for you?
Ryan Parker: I’m in a bit of a career change. I have been working my way into the Columbus Fire Department, so I hope to be in the fire academy. That was why I fished as hard as I could this year, because I knew this might happen. I am hoping to get out a few times to fish next season to get the bare minimum of events. As much as I want to defend the title, I may take another year off and leave it to someone else. I am excited for the change.
Additional Info
Ryan Parker is sponsored by Dark Horse Tackle, Loveland Paddlesports and Fireball Outdoor Products.
For more information about the Kayak Adventure Series presented by Go Pro, visit: https://www.kayakadventureseries.com/
Click here to learn more about Go Pro cameras.
For individual tournament recaps, go to: https://www.kayakadventureseries.com/blog
Click here to see the 2025 Kayak Adventure Series season schedule.
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