OK, so the fish aren't biting and you're having a tough time trying to pitch a tube bait into the boat dock wells, thanks to a gusting wind. Half the time the bait slams into the end of the dock or skips onto the dock's wooden platform, where retrieval can be a real hassle.

The longer you fish, the more frustrated you become until at last you're thinking that you've had enough of this so-called fun.

Do you quit? Heck, no! What you should do is call to mind an image of Clay Dyer.

Dyer is unlike any angler most of us have ever seen, let alone gone fishing with. Dyer, 30, of Hamilton, Ala., was born without any lower limbs and no left arm and has just a 16-inch-long arm on his right shoulder. He weighs just under 90 pounds. Dyer may be small, but what he lacks in size and appendages he more than makes up for in determination, drive and indomitable will.

"My condition was caused by a birth defect," Dyer explained. "I don't have any health problems or diseases, and I'm blessed by being able to live a normal, healthy life."

"Blessed" is a word Dyer uses liberally, which is rather amazing to anyone meeting or watching the man fish for the first time. Yet he not only fishes, he's been a touring pro since 1995, fishing competitively in Alabama B.A.S.S. Federation tournaments, the Wal-Mart FLW and Wal-Mart FLW Stren Series tours. This year, Dyer began fishing the FLW Series BP Eastern Division. To date, he has competed in more than 200 bass tournaments and has placed first in 25 state or local tournaments.

Dyer's story begins 30 minutes before he was born, when a doctor came out of the delivery room and told Clarence Dyer, Clay's father, that there were some problems.

When the elder Dyer finally saw his son, he said, "I thought: 'Look at him. He can never have a normal life.'"

The Dyers decided to treat Clay exactly like Chris, Clay's elder, able-bodied brother, and see how it worked out. "Clay has never had problems doing anything he's ever tried to do," Clarence Dyer said.

Clay watched and learned as Chris grew into an excellent golfer who played for a time on the Nike Tour. Like younger brothers everywhere, Clay wanted to excel, too.

Dyer played T-ball by swinging a bat wedged between his shoulder and neck. He played football too, and can even throw a spiral. Only after being knocked out — twice — did Dyer abandon his NFL dreams. A true Alabama outdoorsman, he loves to hunt deer and geese.

He began fishing when he was 5, and at age 6 caught a 26-pound catfish that was subdued only after a 45-minute battle. When he was 15 he began fishing local bass tournaments.

Some people have approached Dyer with ideas for inventions that could make his fishing easier. "It's nice of them, but I'm comfortable fishing the way I do, with no special equipment," Dyer said.

"People ask how I can fish like this, but it's all I've ever known," Dyer continued. "I've never had legs or good arms. I just use what I've been given like everyone else."

Dyer drives his Ranger 520 bass boat, equipped with an Evinrude E-Tec 225 h.p. engine, at speeds of up to 70 mph. He'll stand in the seat while steering with his partial arm, accelerating and stopping with an arm-control gas pedal.

His trolling motor is a Minn-Kota Terova pedal steering model. Palomar and modified cinch knots are tied with his tongue, and if he must, to catch fish, Dyer will grasp stinky, odor-infused baits in his mouth to thread them onto a hook.

Dyer casts with pinpoint precision by wedging the rod between neck and shoulder. He "thumbs" the casting reel with his tongue, and pitches and casts overhand and side-armed. He's a master of flipping, one who can regularly flip a soft plastic bait into a Styrofoam coffee cup 50 yards distant. He straightens out his own backlashes, removes wriggling bass from hooks and puts them in the livewell.

"Clay fishes at a level just below that of the top pros," said Jay Yelas, a former Bassmaster Classic champion and close friend. "I'm constantly amazed by what Clay can do as an angler."

On his angler's shirt Dyer proudly displays the logos of BassFan.com, Ranger, E-Tec, Minn-Kota, Lowrance, Strike King and Pure Fishing, among others.

"If you were a sponsor, who would best serve your interests?" asked Elvin Smith, Dyer's sports agent. "Clay Dyer, who inspires everyone because he never gives up, or someone ranked number 60 in the (bass fishing) standings?"

Dyer is highly sought after as a motivational speaker. Last year he addressed executives of International Paper; this year he'll be working with disabled youngsters at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

He has written a book, "The View From Down Here is Just Fine," and serves as national spokesperson for the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation, an organization that helps disabled and disadvantaged children enjoy fishing. Dyer's motto of "If I can, you can" has helped him connect with kids battling physical difficulties.

"Clay is a great angler, but some things (in fishing) are difficult, like setting the hook and playing a fish through heavy cover to the boat," Smith explained.

One concession was in accepting help from a network of fishing friends whenever the pro is tournament bound, usually four or five times each month. "They'll travel (to the tournament) in Clay's truck," Smith said. "In return, Clay pays the entry fees so his companion can fish in the tournament's co-angler competition."

Clay Dyer's next goal is to earn a check on the FLW tour. He came close last year, finishing a mere ounce out of the money. He also hopes to fish in the FLW championship. "I wouldn't bet against him," Smith said.

"Sometimes I feel like the luckiest man alive," Clay Dyer said. "If I can encourage just one person not to quit during bad times, not to give up when that seems the only option, and to reach for seemingly impossible goals, then my life truly has been worthwhile."