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Fly Tying Group
Buszek Award Winner: 1974
Ken Bay
by Dennis Bitton; edited by David Nelson
(first posted April 1, 2008; last updated April 1, 2008)
The fifth recipient of the Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award was Kenneth E. Bay, in 1974. Ken lived in Nyack, New York, just outside of New York City when he won the award. Ken currently lives in Holly Hill, Florida. Many, including Ken, feel that the main reason he received the award was for the two books he had out at the time, Salt Water Flies and How to Tie Freshwater Flies. He also ties a very nice looking flies.
But Ken didn't start out tying flies and winning awards. Born September 4th, 1920, in Bristol, Connecticut, Ken grew up fishing Connecticut streams, rivers and lakes.
Initially, he used to dredge out large mouth bass and trout using bait and artificial lures. He didn't start fly fishing until 1945, and then he taught himself on New York streams.
In 1955 he started tying flies, largely just to increase his enjoyment of fishing. His first instructors were Irv Lacey and Herb Howard of the Southern New York Fish and Game Association of White Plains, New York.
Before receiving the Buszek Award, Ken served seven years as Treasurer of the Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers. He was a national director for FFF from 1969-75 and Treasurer of the Striped Bass Fund from 1973-75. In 1972, he co-authored Salt Water Flies.
Since receiving the award, Ken served as President of the Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers and in 1978 edited the book American Fly Tyers Handbook. His other projects included support for the Catskill Fly Fishing Center.
He is still writing for the Salt Water Fly Fishing Magazine and will have several articles in upcoming issues and Fly Tyer will also feature and article of his.
"I'm not the fanatic fisherman I was for 25-30 years," explains Ken. "I find fishing to be more fun now that I go less frequently."
Ken says his tying style leans heavily to the Atherton patterns and that the KB stonefly pattern he originated got its genesis from some ideas of Charles Wetzel. He says that he is still tying flies like crazy these days.
