A senior at Park City High this year, Jay Sykes is an athlete, outdoorsman, comedian, and mac and cheese enthusiast. He is co-president of Park City High’s famed fly fishing club. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Sykes for Park City Prospector’s Student Spotlight this week, and here is what he had to say while making himself a nice bowl of Annie’s Mac in his kitchen: 

“I like to fish. I started spin fishing with my dad with a bobber and a worm. That kind of just led me into fly fishing eventually,” Jay said about his beginnings in fishing. When I asked how often he gets out there, Jay responded: “Once a week probably. Um, in the summer more often, probably 5 times a week but with school it’s kind of tough.”

Jay likes to fish in various locations including the Uintas, and the Provo and Weber rivers. He refrained from sharing his secret fishing spots to keep people from angling in on his catch. 

“What’s your favorite thing you’ve caught in your fishing career so far?” I asked, to which Jay said, “I’ve caught some big brown trout down on the Weber, and caught a bonefish in Belize, that was cool. Caught a bunch of snook in the Florida Keys. But, yeah, I don’t know, each fish has its merit.” 

“What is about fishing that you enjoy?” I asked.

“It’s just peaceful. It’s easy to connect with nature when you’re fishing. Yeah, I just, I kind of like the fish, so that’s part of it for sure,” Jay says.

Based on his statements it is easy to see that Jay respects the craft and the natural world that make his favorite hobby possible. 

This prompted me to ask about his club. Jay tells us that he  “and Ben Hesket started it. We got like, 30 members now so it’s rollin’ for sure. We have our first meeting on Thursday this week and then we’ll see where we go from there. But yeah we’re just kind of taking it as the cards play. If you like being outdoors, you should join!”

In addition to fishing, Jay also participates in Park City High School’s boys’ soccer team, who hope to follow the girl’s soccer team performance and “make a little noise in the state.”

Jay enjoys hiking with his dogs and is an avid skier. He added that he works at Jans Mountain Outfitters on Park Ave. and to head his way if you need to purchase fishing equipment or have your skis tuned. 

To conclude his interview, I asked Jay for any last words of wisdom.

“So, two dogs walk into a bar, and the bartender asks them, ‘What can I get you?’ And the dogs say, ‘A jack… and Coke’ And the bartender says, ‘What’s with the pause?’ And the dogs say, ‘We were born with them.’”