This award began in 2000 and is to be presented to an individual who excels in teaching the art of fly tying to tiers at all skill levels. It is named after Buszek Award-winning tier, Dick Nelson, who taught fly tying for many years and chaired the fly tying classes at the San Jose Flycasters for 35 years.

Dick's great love was teaching tying. He would rather teach tying than tie, he would rather tie than fish. Such was his dedication to teaching that two weeks before his death, confined to a wheelchair by a stroke and in declining health, he was giving private lessons in his home to a student who could not make the regular San Jose Flycaster’s Tying Classes. Donations in his memory can be made to the Dick Nelson Fly Tying Teaching Memorial Fund.

 

2000 Chuck Newmeyer 2001 Michael Verduin 2002 Buck Goodrich 2003 Benson Kanemoto 2004 Grant Davis 2005 Cliff Adams    2006 Bob Trowbridge 2007 Andre Puyans 2008 Bob Lay