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Clay Dyer (born May 23, 1978, in Hamilton, Alabama) is a professional sport bass fisherman. [1] Dyer was born without any lower limbs, no arm on the left side and a partial arm on the right. His motto for life is "If I can, you can." [2]
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Clay Dyer (born May 23, 1978, in Hamilton, Alabama) is a professional sport bass fisherman. [1] Dyer was born without any lower limbs, no arm on the left side and a partial arm on the right. His motto for life is "If I can, you can." [2]
Dyer's physical limitations have not dampened his determination and positive spirit. He started fishing at age 5 and began tournament fishing at age 13. [3] He refuses to use special equipment, wanting to cast with one hand as others do with two. He casts by tucking the rod under his jaw and whipping it around with a quick left-to-right twist. He reels fish in while holding the end of the rod under his chin. He ties knots with his tongue and unhooks fish with his teeth. [4] [1] [3]
Dyer fishes on the Bassmaster Open Series. [5] He has fished in more than 200 bass tournaments and placed first in approximately 20 state bass tournaments. He is sponsored by O.R.C.A. coolers, Strike King Lure Co., Ranger Boats and Mercury Marine.
In addition to his competitive fishing, Dyer is also a motivational speaker for corporations, churches, and charitable organizations. [3]
Dyer's biography, The View From Down Here is Just Fine, was written by Scot Laney. Dyer is also the subject of chapters in three other books: Living Life in the Zone, Performance Intelligence at Work, and Dance Until it Rains. Clay currently fishing the Bassmaster Southern Open series. He makes 60+ speaking appearances each year. Clay is married to the love of his life, Kim, who ironically had the same love for Bass fishing as Clay. [1] The two married on November 9, 2013. They are known as a powerful ministry team.
A fishing rod is a long, thin rod used by anglers to catch fish by manipulating a line ending in a hook. At its most basic form, a fishing rod is a straight rigid stick/pole with a line attached to one end ; however, modern rods are usually elastic and generally have the line stored in a reel mounted at the rod handle, which is hand-cranked and controls the line retrieval, as well as numerous line-restricting rings that distribute bending stress along the rod and help dampening down/prevent line whipping and entanglement. To better entice fish, baits or lures are dressed onto the one or more hooks attached to the line, and a bite indicator is used, some of which might be incorporated as part of the rod itself.
A fishing reel is a hand-cranked reel used in angling to wind and stow fishing line, typically mounted onto a fishing rod, but may also be used on compound bows or crossbows to retrieve tethered arrows when bowfishing.
Bass fishing is the recreational fishing activity, typically via rod-based angling, for various North American freshwater game fishes known collectively as black bass. There are numerous black bass species targeted in North America, including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass or Kentucky bass, and Guadalupe bass. All black bass species are members of the sunfish family Centrarchidae.
Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is insufficient to overcome air resistance, it cannot be launched far using conventional gears and techniques, so specialized tackles are used instead and the casting techniques are significantly different from other forms of angling. It is also very common for the angler to wear waders, carry a hand net, and stand in the water when fishing.
Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniques such as handlining also exist. Modern angling rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a cranking device for storing, retrieving and releasing out the line, although Tenkara fishing and traditional cane pole fishing are two rod-angling methods that do not use any reel. The fish hook itself can be additionally weighted with a denser tackle called a sinker, and is typically dressed with an appetizing bait to attract and entice the fish into swallowing the hook, but sometimes an inedible fake/imitation bait with multiple attached hooks is used instead of a single hook with edible bait. Some type of bite indicator, such as a float, a bell or a quiver tip, is often used to relay underwater status of the hook to the surface and alert the angler of a fish's presence.
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival and livelihood.
Roland Martin is a professional sport fisherman. Martin is host of Fishing with Roland Martin on the NBCSN television channel.
Michael Iaconelli, also known as Mike and by his nickname "Ike", is a professional bass fisherman, television personality, and podcast show host from Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey. Iaconelli competes on Major League Fishing. As of February 11, 2019, Mike's career tournament winnings with B.A.S.S. were $2,500,205, which includes 7 wins. Iaconelli's major accomplishments include the longest active streak of Bassmaster Classic qualifications with 17 consecutive appearances, the 2017 Major League Fishing Summit Cup Champion, 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion, as well as the 2006 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. Iaconelli is the only angler to have won the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
Kevin VanDam, often called simply "KVD," is a professional bass fisherman from Otsego, Michigan. He is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned $7,089,388 through August 2022 according to Major League Fishing. He has captured four Bassmaster Classic titles, seven Toyota Tundra Angler of Year titles and was also the FLW Angler of the Year in 2001. VanDam has predominantly fished the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) Bassmasters tournament series during his career but was also a founding member of Major League Fishing.
Rick Clunn is a professional bass fisherman.
Plugs are a popular type of hard-bodied fishing lure, characterized by a specially designed foil at the front end known as the bill or lip. Plugs are widely known by a number of other names depending on the country and region, including crankbait, wobbler, minnow, shallow-diver and deep-diver. The term minnow is usually used for long, slender, lures that imitate baitfish, while the term plug is usually used for shorter, deeper-bodied lures which imitate deeper-bodied fish, frogs and other prey. Shallow-diver and deep-diver refer to the diving capabilities of the lure, which depends on the size and angle of the lip, and lure buoyancy.
Surf fishing is land-based game fishing while standing on the shoreline or wading into the surf zone. A general term, surf fishing may or may not include casting a lure or bait, and refers to all types of shore fishing – from sandy and rocky beaches, rock jetties, or even fishing piers. The terms surfcasting or beachcasting refer more specifically to surf fishing from the beach by casting into the surf at or near the shoreline. With few exceptions, surf fishing is done in saltwater. The most common misconception about surf fishing is the idea that one must cast as far out as possible in order to reach the fish. At beaches on the west coast of the United States, and in fact, at most beaches around the world, you only really need to get your bait into knee-deep water. This is referred to as surf fishing the "skinny".
Fishing techniques are methods for catching fish. The term may also be applied to methods for catching other aquatic animals such as molluscs and edible marine invertebrates.
Larry Nixon is a professional fisherman from Bee Branch, Arkansas.
Mark Davis is a professional sport fisherman of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) and is one of only two anglers to have won the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and the Bassmasters Classic tournament in the same year.
Harold Edward Ensley was an American radio and television personality best known for his television program The Sportsman's Friend. His innovative, nationally syndicated program was one of the first to feature fishing and hunting, and ran nonstop for 48 years. Harold Ensley earned the title: "World Champion of Freshwater Sport Fishing" by winning "The World Series of Freshwater Sport Fishing", the first major fishing tournament by Sports Illustrated, in 1960. He has been inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, the Kansas Association of Broadcaster's Hall Of Fame, Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. He has won numerous awards for hunting, fishing, and broadcasting. As a noted lure designer, he contributed to the development of modern sport fishing lures. He also marketed his own line of fishing rods, reels and various fishing accessories, and wrote two books, Winds of Chance and Wings of Chance, which recount some of his life's adventures outdoors.
Cliff Pace often called “Game Face Pace”, is a professional bass fisherman from Petal, Mississippi. Pace is the 43rd world champion of bass fishing and the 39th member of the B.A.S.S. Millionaires Club. Pace has predominantly fished the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) Bassmasters tournament series during his career but now competes in the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Jimmy Houston is a pro angler and TV host. He was on ESPN for 21 years before he switched to the Outdoor Life Network. He is currently on NBC Sports. In 1990, he was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. He is known for his distinctive laugh. With fellow fishermen Roland Martin and Bill Dance, he formed the company Th3 Legends to sell signature products.
Cliff Crochet, also known as "The Cajun Baby", is an American professional bass fisherman from Pierre Part, Louisiana. Crochet is a competitor on Bass Angler Sportsman Society's (B.A.S.S.) Bassmaster Elite Series and has $478,078 in B.A.S.S. tournament winnings as of February 13, 2018. Crochet's sponsors include: K2 Coolers, Huk, Skeeter, Yamaha Motor Company, Lowrance Electronics, DUCE Rods, Luck E Strike, Seaguar, Rat-L-Trap, Santone Lures, Plenum, Power-Pole, and Classic Fiberglass. Since 2010, Crochet has competed in four Bassmaster Classic tournaments. Crochet's boat for the 2018 season is a 2018 Skeeter FX 21 with a 250 hp Yamaha SHO outboard engine.
Casey Ashley, is a professional bass fisherman from Donalds, South Carolina. Ashley attended Piedmont Technical College, a two-year community college, where he earned a degree in Industrial Electronics.