Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Bad news. One of our members and my great friend and partner, Ray Hodges aka Superhook of Brisbane, Australia passed away on August 6, 2018. He has been fighting a rare form of Cancer for two years and it finally got him. Ray was 60 years old and is survived by his brother.

That's sad to hear Mike, thanks for letting us know.

Mike

Sorry to hear this, Michael —

I know that you and Ray have had many projects over the years, as well as bouncing first hand observations of reels off of each other.

Like you, he is an Expert's expert.  One of the foremost in the world on reels such as Penn and OC.

He was nice and helpful to anyone and everyone about our little reel issues, history, and ID'ing.

He will be sorely missed.

Godspeed to you, Ray...

Best,

Fred

Mike
I am real sorry to hear about Ray I know you guys were close friends !!!!  I had only known him for a few years through email. Mostly we talked about big cradle reels. Really sorry to hear the bad news I didn't know he was sick.    John Taylor

PS  here is one that Ray really cherished !!!

A very sad day for many of us, Ray will be missed.
May he rest in peace.

Sal

Very sad to hear. I always enjoyed reading his comments. Hang in there Mike.

Very sad news, sorry for your loss. RIP Superhook

You will be sorely missed Ray.
I am honored to have known the man.
Sincerest Condolences,
Daron

RIP Superhook

Steve

Thank you Mike, not easy to pass sad news, like this on, tell his family, how well respected Ray was on this forum, 60 years of age, is not old, I am 72, & to think of the fun days I have had in the past 12 years, & what I have learnt, thanks again Mike, you keep well, & positive, cheers Don.

so sorry to hear. 

   I didn't know Ray...never conversed with him...but his contributions here have been very influential to me. His "Penn Reels-just as you find them" thread contains more Penn info than most sites have in their entirety. I suggested that thread be stickied at 29 pages, and it is currently at 83 pages!!

         http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=15800.msg243484#msg243484

                                              Rest in Peace Ray

 Wow, a very sad day for the Penn community

Ray had a passion for historical Penn items and had an eye for the rarest reels and artifacts. I once stumbled onto a early Coronado that had no star for the drag and Ray instantly knew what I had. His words were "you know Penn never made a Cornado without a star". To me it was just a beat up old Coronado, but Ray knew otherwise. The next day I got a jaw dropping cash offer for it and away it went. About 2 months later Ray contacted me wanting to buy a rare trade reel I had. He offered me $150 and I refused his money and sent him the reel for free for all he had done for me.

Ray Hodges will always be remembered for his vast collection and historical knowledge, thanks to Mike's Penn history books. .....and special thanks to Mike for bringing him to the forum. His posts here on the forum will always be great reading and a wealth of knowledge for the Ohana for generations to come

 May he rest in peace

 Ted

RIP Ray.  Dominick

Ray,
   While I only knew you through emails and postings I appreciate all you've done for me and all of the Penn collectors out there.  You have shared information that took many years of compiling, and were always willing to answer a question, point out something unique, or set the record straight.  In the past couple of years of knowing you, we have shared many emails about reels, but also about life.  I didn't know you were going through health issues at all, as you never mentioned a thing, never a complainant, or bad word to say.  Thank you for teaching us about Penn reels, but more importantly how to be strong, dignified, and a good, positive person.
You will be missed, pal.
Dom
PS- Mike I am so sorry for your loss... you guys were a great team.