YATES, N.Y. -- A student at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry died Friday while fly-fishing in Western New York.

Jared Fearby, of Kent, appears to have drowned while fly-fishing with his grandfather in Orleans County, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office said. Fearby was a student at ESF.

“We are sad to inform the ESF community about the death of Jared Fearby, a senior conservation biology student,” the college announced Saturday in a tweet. “Jared died while doing something he loved, fly fishing with his grandfather. We extend our condolences to Jared’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Fearby and his grandfather went fly-fishing Friday morning in Johnson Creek in Yates, Orleans County, reported The Daily News. The pair waded into the water and eventually moved apart to fish in separate spots, Undersheriff Michael Mele said in a news conference broadcasted by Video News Service.

Fearby eventually fell in the water, the undersheriff said, and did not come out.

We are sad to inform the ESF community about the death of Jared Fearby, a senior conservation biology student. Jared died while doing something he loved, fly fishing with his grandfather. We extend our condolences to Jared's family and friends during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/jv9Ubuy3iC — SUNY-ESF (@sunyesf) January 4, 2020

Fearby’s grandfather called 911 around 1:45 p.m. Friday when he and his grandson became separated, according to The Daily News. Deputies later found Fearby’s body half on shore and half in the creek, the newspaper reported.

The water is 6 to 8 feet deep and fast moving in some spots, Mele said.

“The water’s very cloudy,” the undersheriff said during the news conference. “You can’t see in the water so you don’t know where you’re stepping, if you’re stepping into a hole or rock."

Fearby graduated from Charles D’Amico High School in Albion in 2016. He joined SUNY ESF’s class of 2020 and was part of the Syracuse Green-Infrastucture team, according to Syracuse Green-Infrastructure’s website.

A picture on the team’s website shows Fearby smiling and holding a fish. According to his staff biography, his goal was to “work a job that allows him to conserve and improve the environment.”