Buz Buzsek Memorial Fly Tying Award Library Now Open
Fly Tying Group Memorializes Recipients
LAUNCHES THE BUZ BUSZEK MEMORIAL FLY TYING AWARD LIBRARY
Fly Fishers International recently launched the Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award Library (Buszek Library), making some of the highest quality fly tying instructional and informational materials available to its members and the fly fishing community. The Library appears in the FFI Learning Center. Preserving the “Legacy of Fly Fishing” is the mission of Fly Fishers International (FFI) and the tying of artificial flies for fly fishing is very much a part of that Legacy.
The Buszek Library can be found on the FFI website (www.flyfishersinternational.org) in the LEARN section of the website. Click here to start your journey.
The Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award is named in honor of Wayne “Buz” Buszek who developed a retail business during the mid-1900s where he established a standard of excellence for fly tying materials and more importantly the many excellent fly patterns he developed that include the Western Coachman and Old Gray Mare that continue to inspire the highest skills in fly tying today. The award, likewise, is presented to individuals who have demonstrated highest skills in fly tying and made significant contributions to the preservation of the artform of fly tying.
The Buszek Library will include educational and instructional materials created by many of the 54 fly tiers who FFI has recognized by presentation of the Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award since 1970, each for their excellence in the innovation and teaching of the art form of fly tying. Many of the Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award recipients have published articles, developed videos and other materials on the topic of fly tying and each is invited to donate these valuable documents to the Buszek Library. Featuring these donations in the Buszek Library will not only memorialize the works of the recipients but also make some of the highest quality instructional materials in the world available to all fly tiers who desire to learn and improve their skills at tying the artificial fly. It is the intent of the Buszek Library that its content represents the essence of fly tying knowledge and instruction.
Wayne Luallen, the 1991 recipient of the award, is the inaugural donor to the Library that includes 19 educational articles and 49 videos. Wayne Luallen (born 1950) is a retired radiologic technologist from Visalia, California. He started tying flies in 1974 to save money — thousands of dollars on tools and materials ago.
Wayne’s dexterity and attention to detail soon became apparent. One year later he was invited to tie professionally for Buz’s Fly and Tackle in Visalia — specifically the specialty custom flies for discerning fly fishers, for some added income — hence his “flybynyt” email address. With this repetitive work, like a musician practicing scales and etudes, he steadily gained in technical skills and materials selection and handling. You can view his collection of works at https://www.flyfishersinternational.org/wayne-luallen
The Buszek Award recipients who donate will have a section in the Library dedicated to them and easily available to those who visit the Library. The information displayed in the section may include written articles, instructional videos, and other donations such as examples of unique fly tying techniques, fly patterns they developed, and stories that pertain to their personal experiences in fly tying. The families and friends of deceased Buszek Award recipients are invited to donate works of their family member to the Buszek Library.
The Buszek Library Planning Committee has worked the past 3 years to develop the Library. The Committee includes Tom Logan, Jack Gillis, Fred DuPre’, Sherry Steele, Barry Webster, Dutch Baughman, and Rhonda Sellers.