Clay Dyer – Living Life and Bass Fishing Beyond the Limits
Clay Dyer Can Hit a Gallon Bucket from 50 Feet
 Editor’s Note: Clay Dyer of Hamilton, Alabama, is an outstanding, unique and highly-successful individual and bass fisherman. Dyer has found a way to take what 90% of us would consider a disadvantage and turn it into a tremendous advantage. “I stand out at every fishing tournament in which I compete,” Dyer mentions. “I’m usually the only fisherman there with no hands, only a partial arm and no legs. I’ve discovered that to be successful in this industry, it helps to be unique. I don’t have to wear sponsor shirts, have  my boat and truck wrapped or have my name printed on all my equipment. Most of the time, when I go to a tournament, the fishermen and the spectators will know who I am, and the products I fish and why when they see me or before they leave.” This week, we’ll take a look at the life of Clay Dyer – one of the most-amazing and unique anglers in the world of bass fishing.
Question: Clay, one of the most-critical factors to getting a bass to bite a bait is casting accuracy. Most fishermen rely on their hands, arms, shoulders and backs as well as their eyes to make very-accurate casts. Even then, hitting the target isn’t always easy for most bass fishermen. Since you’re missing some of those critical body parts, how accurately can you cast?
Dyer: When I’m fishing every day at a tournament, I pretty well can stay ontarget. During the tournament, I put every cast within a gallon bucket from 50-feet away. If I’m within 30 feet of the target, I usually can put a lure in a Styrofoam cup, seven out of 10 times.
Question: How do you cast?
Dyer: I’ve learned to cast by thousands of hours of practice. I put  the rod handle between my jawbone and my collarbone and apply pressure to the spool with my tongue and my lips to slow-down my cast just before it goes in the water. I put my partial arm out in front of the reel, to gain the slinging action I need to cast the bait.
Question: Clay, how far can you cast?
Dyer: With larger baits, like top-water lures, spinner baits and crankbaits, I can cast about 50 yards, though not into a stiff wind. One new lure I’ve fished a lot is the Shadalicious in sizes from 3-1/2- to 6-1/2-inches long. I really like to cast the bigger Shadalicious because primarily a big bass will take that lure. I prefer the new Burner and the Bottom Dweller spinner baits and the Series 6 crankbaits from Strike King.
Question: The 1-ounce Bottom Dweller  spinner bait is a big bait for a short guy to be throwing. How often do you throw it?
Dyer: Yes, it is a big bait. At this time of year, many bass are still out in deep water, so I have to use the best tool I can to catch them. Right now, one of the best baits I can fish to catch those deep-water bass is the Bottom Dweller. I’m still catching a lot of bass in the 10- to 20-foot-deep water on secondary ledges and in creeks. Sometimes, to get my bait down faster, I’ll clamp a 1/2-ounce rubber-core-type sinker onto the shank of the Bottom Dweller to cause the bait to get down deeper and quicker and stay closer to the bottom when I’m fishing heavy line. So, the weight of the bait and the amount of strength and energy required to cast it isn’t nearly as important as putting the bait where the bass can see it and eat it. Besides, since I work out every day to strengthen my body, I can cast any size lure as far as I need to give myself the best chance to win.
Question: What’s in the future for you?
Dyer: I’m as excited about bass fishing and being a part of the bass-fishing community today as I was 12-years ago when I first started working with Strike King. I thank God for Strike King and my other great sponsors who have enabled me to live my dream. I can’t wait to get back on the FLW Tour in 2009 and start competing again. I’ve already started working on my equipment, fine-tuning my baits and preparing for the competitions. I’m spending as much time as I can with my family before I have to get back out on the road again. I’ve really enjoyed helping coach our local high-school football team – the Hamilton High School Aggies. I’m looking into the possibilities of doing more TV work and possibly hosting a TV show. I’m just really excited about everything – particularly fishing Strike King lures.
To learn more about Clay Dyer, visit http://www.smgoutdoors.com/claydyer.html, or call (214) 632-4416.
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