Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Looks lovely. As a Newell Nut, I'm not certain it is an "upgrade," but I hope you enjoy fishing the wizz out of it!
The Man

Just upgraded my Penn 100 Surfmaster from Newell bars, base, and clamp to a Tiburon frame, base, and Penn aluminum clamp, thanks to Steve (vilters). It had the SS gear sleeve and 5-stack drag upgrade before this upgrade. Never thought I'd find a gold frame to match the power handle but Steve noticed that I was looking for one and came through. When I bought it years ago on Ebay, it came with a Newell spool and an extra Newell spool as well.

The day I saw Keith was listing some of his treasures for sale my gut knew what was coming. Very heartbreaking indeed. We all lost a treasure of a guy.

Keith's legacy will stay alive and well thru the Ohana members. Keith sent me a couple reels, so I sent him a couple. I'll never sell either one, but will someday pass on to another member here to keep his legacy alive and well. I did upgrade the handle on one of his reels, and I'm sure Keith would give it his stamp of approval. I will fish for halibut with it this summer

Keith is a great guy. I miss him dearly. We would message each other every so often and chat on the phone as well. A breath of fresh air!!!

Sorry to hear this - I must have missed it when it happened because in June of last year I sent him a PM and didn't get a response, which I know was out of character for him.

God bless handi2 and his family.

Keith was a good guy, all the members of AT.com that have few years here know that already, I just can add that I felt honored when he asked me to build a custom rod for his son who was taking care of him.

Yes a very good man Keith was, he answered lots of questions for many members, unfortunately living on the other side of the world, I never had the pleasure to meet him, Jason thanks for this post, and also distributing some of his part to me, keep well, cheers Don.

Keith and I helped each other with parts for many years.

If I needed something, he would just send it out.

If he needed something, I would do likewise.

Dozens of reels and parts over the years —- never a dollar changed hands.

A good friend is never gone, as long as they stay in our thoughts.  Many of our good friends have passed on —- but are not forgotten.

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"Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead, but I still reach out to them.

Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think I shouldn't.  Like many fly fisherman in Western Montana, where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.  The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.  On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.  Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. 

I am haunted by waters."

Norman Maclean

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Thanks for posting, Jason.

Best, Fred

Thanks for posting this Jason,

Keith was always replying to my questions and was the first to share some parts with me, asking for nothing in return.