A very fine Gentleman, who always had time to chat. Seems like only a few years ago when I got my first catalog from when he still lived in Connecticut. A
fountain of knowlege, who was willing to share it. He will be missed.
gofish
gofish
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Martin J. Keane- Last Cast
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 gofish60 |
#21 | |||
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Posts: 1911 02/03/2009 13:42 Registered User |
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reelsmith |
#22 | |||
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Posts: 692 02/03/2009 17:58 |
Back in the late 70's, while ordering a reel, Marty told me if I was ever in his neck of the woods to give him a call so we could get together.
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softstick |
re: Marty Keane | #23 | ||
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Posts: 547 02/03/2009 22:14 |
A kinder, gentler soul have I not come across in this life. Full of passion and unequaled in his knowledge of all things grass and thread. He always seemed up
to the task of discussing fly tackle no matter the time of day or the oddity of my questions.
And I always asked alot of questions about Fred Thomas and the Thomas family rods and the Edwards family rods, most specifically the Thomas Mahoganies and the quads of Billy as Marty called him. He would tell stories of his visits to the various shops of the respective families. The next month I would laugh when my phone bill came as I live in the Seattle suburbs. But thats okay. My life was enrichened for knowing him. Rest in Peace Mr. Keane |
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gt05254 |
#24 | |||
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Posts: 392 02/03/2009 22:25 |
It seems Marty had time for everyone. He even - always - made time for a befuddled museum director who always had questions, always wanted to stop by to show
him something of concern, and never really seemed to have a clue. And he always had a generous answer, always made me feel welcomed. What a very nice man, and
Lil was always so gracious. I treasure those visits to their home.
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PaducahMichael |
An Inspirationational life | #25 | ||
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Posts: 522 02/03/2009 22:26 |
I was deeply saddened by news of Marty's passing. My sincere condolences go out to his family.
Martin Keane never met a rod he couldn't love - and helped a lot of us fall in love with vintage bamboo. His book was an inspiration to many of us, and a great source of information for all of us. The task of writing his fine book was monumental. It must have been a true labor of love, for at the time it was written there was no internet for sharing information. He had to ferret out each tidbit, every piece of the puzzle, and then assemble it into a meaningful form. I've always appreciated the book as being the cornerstone for all the future rod historians to build upon. But as wonderful as the book is, the author was even more amazing. Mr. Keane always seemed glad to hear from me - to share any and all information he had at hand, or to point me in a new direction for seeking new knowledge. He loved talking rods and rod makers and never seemed to become bored with my endless questions. When I was new to bamboo rods, Marty was always willing to help in any way he could. He took a sincere interest in my studies and always encouraged me to continue. I will miss him, but will never forget him and the influence he had on my life.
Last Edited By: PaducahMichael 02/03/2009 23:49.
Edited 2 times.
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uniphasian |
#26 | |||
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Posts: 1941 02/04/2009 00:21 Moderator |
I had known Marty for several years at the time, and knew of his love of Walker reels. I was calling this time just to tell him that I had recently found a
very nice Walker TR2 with an indent drag lever, set up in LHW.
I re-mentioned that I was not a "reel guy" and asked if there was anything he'd like to trade me for it. He said that he had a few rods he thought I would like, and that he would pick one and ship it to me to look over. I knew I didn't have to wait, so I boxed up the reel and sent it to him as soon as we said our good-byes. About five days later, the tube from Marty arrived. In it was a beautiful Payne 104 and a note saying that he thought the rod and reel would be a good straight-across trade. It was my first Payne rod, and the only 104 I've ever seen. The first place I used the rod was on DePuy's where it's reach helped out taking some nice fish across the weed lanes. That was about fifteen or sixteen years ago. Here's a picture of the rod taken a couple of years ago, on the Colorado River. Ken knows where, but he probably wouldn't tell you: 
Thanks, Marty - for the Payne, and for everything else. Say 'hello' to Paul and Ernie for us.
- Uni
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Trout120 |
#27 | |||
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Posts: 931 02/04/2009 16:55 |
An era is over.
Trout120 |
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sunjpg |
A fine gentleman - we'll miss you | #28 | ||
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Posts: 5 02/05/2009 01:15 |
Marty was unique in giving so freely of his time and sharing his passion for classic tackle by sharing the tackle with you.
As many others have said a phone conversation with Marty often lasted an hour or longer. Back in those days, you paid by the minute for long distance and many of us had $20.00 or higher phone calls with Marty many times a year. More memorable though were the times that he would invite you into his home, and the visit would last 2 hours or more. He and I bought/sold/traded many FE Thomas rods over the years, and when I would call him to talk about sending him a Thomas rod, he would oftentimes say "... can you drop by?" I quickly learned to take him up on those invitations. He and Lil were always the most gracious of hosts. I always thought it was impolite to allow the visit to linger for 2 or 3 or 4 hours, but Marty would simply not allow you to leave. He would insist that you have lunch or a light dinner and a glass of wine. He would show you his personal Paul Young and Gillum rods and Von Hofe reels. His cabinets were treasure troves of the finest classic tackle ever made. One afternoon I brought over a rod and some Hardy Neroda boxes, but to my surprise we spent the next 3 hours on Carrie Stevens and Harry Darbee flies. He was interested in all things of classic "old world" quality. He would always graciously photocopy a page from his FE Thomas serial numbers book for me, but he would never let the whole book get away. He said he was going to write a thorough book on Fred, Leon, Walter and the history of the Thomas shop from 1898 to 1958 some day. I told him I wanted the first copy! He will be missed. Thanks for all the memories Marty... rest in peace. Jay |
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gmflyfish |
Marty Keane | #29 | ||
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Posts: 1125 02/05/2009 12:03 |
A great man and a kindred spirit.. His catalogs were anticipated. I rarely got one in time to get any of the rods that interested me, living in the West. I
kept all of his catalogs to use to value my collection and to establish prices. He was very fair on his evaluations and pricing. I managed to get a copy of
his personal collection when he sold it a few years ago. Very interesting read.
We will miss his counsel. Gregg |
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LeakyWaders |
#30 | |||
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Posts: 800 02/05/2009 12:03 Moderator |
Over the past 30 years I purchased many rods from Marty. He was indeed a fine gentleman and always took his time dealing with you. I will miss him.
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RonT1 |
#31 | |||
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Posts: 484 02/07/2009 11:09 |
My first encounter with Marty was when his catalog was a tri-fold 8 1/2 x 11. Many catalogs and subsequent 'phone calls kept me broke. I will miss that.
R |
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Budrichard |
#32 | |||
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Posts: 76 02/07/2009 17:35 |
Marty made order out of chaos in the early bamboo world for those of us learning about rods.
My first bamboo, a 7&1'2' Phillipson purchased on sale in the 1960s' for $40 while I was in Graduate School was all that I could afford. Later while working in Chicago in 1971, an Orvis 6' one piece at A&F for $200 was just too much for a young engineer with a wife and two children. Later in life, I started to get Marty's catalog and a 6' Orvis showed up but by the time I got to Marty it was gone. I explained to Marty my quest for this rod and the reasons why I wanted one and a few months later Marty called and said he had one that was absolutely new. Needless to say I still have the rod along with a signed copy of his great book. The rod and tube were mailed in a PVC tube in which they still reside. Marty did not want this little Orvis to suffer any misfortune in shipping. I am truly sad to hear of his passing and the best to his family.-Dick |
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jeffkn1 |
#33 | |||
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Posts: 1794 02/09/2009 14:16 |
Photo courtesy of Jerry Girard, seen here talking to Marty after presenting him with an award. I don't recall whether this was in '08 or '09, nor
do I recall the award, but it was either at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center or the American Museum of Fly Fishing.
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mvbrooks |
#34 | |||
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Posts: 1721 02/09/2009 15:19 |
Marty was one of the most knowledgeable people concerning fly fishing that I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He was a true gentleman, who was always
willing to share. God bless him, He will be missed.
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BluDun55 |
#35 | |||
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Posts: 63 02/10/2009 23:04 |
Just learned of Marty's death as I have been off the forum for awhile.
I have been talking to Marty about rods for the past ten years. He was extremely helpful with my research on Paul Young/Bobby Doerr/Ted Williams as well as my work on George Halstead. Marty was a gentleman who always had time to talk. In the past few years he had a lousy portable phone that kept cutting off and I would have to redial but he was always there. I learned so much from him. He was a fair dealer who tried to keep his customers happy. I am thankful for what he contributed to the history of rodmakers. I will miss him. J |
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 bluejayee |
#36 | |||
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Posts: 637 02/18/2009 02:26 |
Hi Guys, Marty Keane and Hoagy changed my life. I'm sure I'm not the only one to say that. Jay Edwards
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whatsleft2 |
#37 | |||
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Posts: 695 02/28/2009 00:55 |
Wow!........very sad news.
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delawareadams |
A sad farwell to a link to history. | #38 | ||
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Posts: 1 03/28/2009 10:09 |
Marty's passing to me is the closing of a door to the history of something I am passionate about. I lived nearby and would go to his home on the river
whenever I wished to purchase something. He was very welcoming and made you feel very comfortable in his home. I love the history of fly fishing very much and
have a nice collection of books on it but talking with Marty was like being there and he loved to talk about the people he knew and the places he had been.
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