Disabled angler not afraid to fail

Clay Dyer was born without legs or a left arm. Still, he learned to cast, tie knots with his mouth and run a boat, becoming a fishing pro who spreads his inspirational message.

By Willie Howard

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Born with no legs beyond the hips, no left arm and just part of his right arm, the angler who stands 3 feet, 6 inches taught himself to tie knots with his mouth, run a bass boat and accurately cast a fishing rod by holding it between his cheek and collarbone.

When Dyer wants to tighten the knot on one of his bass baits, he puts the point of the hook into his arm and pulls.

"I usually bleed after every day on the water," he said.

Dyer, 28, does everything a bass pro must do to compete with a few exceptions. He needs help with his life jacket and with holding live bass at weigh-ins. Dyer also has friends and relatives to drive him and his boat to tournaments, though he's working on a driver's license and a truck with special controls.

"I've always wanted to do things like everybody else," said Dyer, who describes himself as very competitive. "I'm living proof that you can do what you want to."

Jim Holmquist of Palm Beach Gardens, who rode in Dyer's boat as a co-angler on the third day on Lake Okeechobee, said Dyer controls his boat by moving his right arm from the throttle to the steering wheel quickly and in sequence with waves.

"He has total control of the boat," Holmquist said. "It's not even a problem."

On land, Dyer uses a motorized wheelchair. He has his own Web site and writes a blog about his life as a bass pro and motivational speaker.

Dyer has no FLW tournament winnings. But sponsors' names cover his fishing shirt and he earns money for speaking appearances, said Scot Laney, co-owner of BassFan.com and author of a Dyer biography due out in March.

Dyer can cast a jig into a cup at 50 feet and does casting demonstrations during his motivational talks, Laney said. His basic message: People should use the talents they have, run with them and not be afraid to fail.

"It's pretty engaging," said Laney, who considers Dyer a friend.

In addition to fishing, Dyer can throw a football and a Frisbee and shoot a gun well enough to hunt deer and geese. He swims and plays golf, too.

The support Dyer received growing up in the small town of Hamilton, Ala., probably helped him rise above his physical limitations, Laney said.

"None of us see him as handicapped," said Eddie Davidson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Hamilton. "There's nothing that will stop Clay."

Dyer's success, in turn, has inspired others.

"It's truly an honor when people come up and tell me they want their kids to be like me," Dyer said.

Dyer says he's living his dream as a touring bass pro. His cellphone message ends with, "Always remember to be thankful for what God has blessed you with."

Dyer also finds time to volunteer to help children with disabilities. He serves as the national spokesman for the C.A.S.T for Kids Foundation and volunteers as a fishing guide and speaker for children with disabilities and terminal illnesses through the United Special Sportsman Alliance.

In 2005, Dyer took a boy with no legs fishing at Rend Lake in Illinois and let the boy ride on the back of his motorized wheelchair. U.S.S.A. President Brigid O'Donoghue said disabled kids relate to Dyer and look up to him.

"When you look at him, you see he's disabled," O'Donoghue said. "When he talks to you, you see he is not disabled."

On the bass tournament circuit, where long days of fruitless fishing can be discouraging, touring bass pros find a source of hope and determination in Dyer.

"There are very few things that are truly amazing," said Mary DiVincenti, a touring bass pro from Clinton, La. "Clay Dyer is one of them. It's nothing short of amazing, his outlook on life."

DiVincenti said many of the tournament anglers came in bewildered after a tough day of fishing on Lake Okeechobee in late January. Then they saw Dyer riding his motorized wheelchair to the weigh-in line.

"It's like the sun coming out from behind a cloud," DiVincenti said. "You look over and see Clay and say: How dare I complain about anything."