The odds of Clay Dyer making it as a professional fisherman wouldn't appear to be much better than the odds he could catch the world-record largemouth out of a backyard mud puddle.

Dyer was born with a seemingly innate desire to be a professional athlete. He also was born without legs, a left arm and only half a right arm.

Reasonable people can argue the merits of classifying professional fishermen as professional athletes, but few would argue that Dyer's accomplishment is anything short of remarkable.

"I've always been competitive," said Dyer, who is competing in the FLW tournament on Tellico and Fort Loudoun lakes. "I played baseball and football in high school, had always been successful, and wanted to compete professionally."

Dyer, 28, who lives in Hamilton, Ala., knew the NFL didn't take too many 3-foot-2, 95-pound linebackers. Major League Baseball had no no-handed fielders. So he turned his attention to fishing.

When he was 5 years old, he began fishing with his father, but got bit by the bass bug about five years later. On Saturday and Sunday mornings he was glued to the television set, watching the outdoor shows, dreaming of catching fish like Bill Dance or Hank Parker.

Dyer's father taught him to fish, but he wasn't a bass fisherman. So Dyer decided to teach himself.

He tells his story in a soon-to-be-released biography "The View From Down Here is Just Fine."

"I was about 10 and watched all those 30-minute TV shows I could," he said. "I saw them catching bass so I decided to get all the equipment and do it myself. When it came to fishing I knew I had some God-given ability and talent."

Like any angler-in-training, Dyer had to learn what types of cover bass like, where they are when the water is muddy and warm, where they are when it is clear and cold, etc. Unlike almost any other fisherman he had to invent ways to cast, tie on baits and get bass in a boat.

To hold a fishing rod he uses his shoulder and chin. He ties on baits with his mouth. He drives his boat at 70 miles per hour well, like everyone else.

"I don't have any special equipment," Dyer said. "I taught myself to cast by watching other fishermen's mechanics and adopting their mechanics to myself. In two or three months I was able to do it."

Professional fishermen cast as accurately and consistently as Tiger Woods hits golf balls and Dyer is no different. A self-professed power fisherman, he earns his keep by flipping and throwing topwater or crankbaits.

"I'm close to being as accurate as the other guys and, if I need to, I can throw a deep-diving crankbait 50 yards," Dyer said. "I can throw it as far as those other guys can."

Dyer admits, sort of, that his lack of two hands and two arms sometimes hinders his setting the hook. During the first FLW Tour Tournament this year on Texas' Lake Travis he got enough quality bites to finish in the top 75, but failed to get the fish in the boat.

"It's true that I've lost some fish, but everybody loses fish," he said. "When you get a fish on, you've just got to stick them. I don't think it (his disability) has been a detriment. It's all about making the right decisions and the right adjustments."

Finesse fishing also can be problematic for Dyer, but other than that, he's versatile enough to take on any type of lake or conditions.

Physically, a four-day tournament can take its toll on him because he's using different muscle groups than the average fisherman. Dyer also has to be careful not to get too hot because his smaller body does not cool down very efficiently.

Over the years, doctors have determined why he was born without legs and only part of one arm, but Dyer doesn't think much about it.

"They have a name for it, but I couldn't tell you what it is," he said.

Dyer's goals are no different than any other pro fisherman's: Win tournaments, be named Angler of the Year and take home lots of cash. But he also has goals that are met just about every day of his life.

"Honestly, my main goal is to just be competitive," he said. "Winning a tournament and winning an FLW championship are ultimate goals, but just being able to be competitive on a professional level is a dream come true."

Dyer can be hardheaded about his dreams. He didn't fully discount the NFL until he was knocked cold during a junior varsity football game in high school.

"I've been knocked out three times in my life, twice on the football field," said Dyer, who played fullback as well as linebacker. "We were trying to make a goal-line stand and I went helmet-to-helmet with the other team's tailback. I woke up on the sideline asking my coach, 'Are we having ketchup for supper?' I have no idea where that came from."