Smoky Mountain’s Alex Boyer has been named to the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team.
SYLVA – Fly fishing is considered an art form by many outdoor sports enthusiasts.
And one of the country’s best young artists resides in Jackson County.
Smoky Mountain rising sophomore Alex Boyer has been wading into water, flicking cast after cast, since he was 9 years old. The pinnacle of his career — at least so far — occurred last week when Boyer qualified for the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team at a competition in State College, Pa.
“I’ve worked really hard for this,” Boyer said.
“It means a lot to make the team at this age. Hopefully, I can continue progressing and represent the team at an upcoming world championship.”
Boyer’s spot on the national team was a result of success he had in regional clinics and tournaments as well as an impressive outing at the national-championship tournament which ended on June 26. The U.S. Youth Fly Fishing team is based out of State College and coached by Christopher Smith along with assistant Kalvin Kaloz.
Boyer will compete in a series of tournaments between now and next summer with the hopes of landing a spot on the U.S. team for the 2017 world championship in Slovenia.
Competitions involving the U.S. team are catch-and-release. Anglers get a chance to fish five different sessions (with a length of three hours each) and scoring is based on the number and size of fish caught. Boyer and other U.S. team members are also counted on to grow the sport through youth clinics. His next clinic is next month in Colorado.
Boyer fishes his share of local creeks, rivers and streams but frequently wets a line outside the area, too.
“He lives and breathes fishing. A lot of people have helped Alex get to where he is today,” Boyer’s mother, Dana, said.
“He has had valuable coaching and mentoring from a lot of people that care a lot about him.”
Smoky Mountain’s Alex Boyer has been named to the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team.
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