I have just read that veteran RI Surfcaster and really, really, great guy, Andy Lemar, passed away yesterday.

I wish I had known him longer and better but in the brief 7,8 or so years I've known him, he impressed me with his knowledge, character, angling skills, and his warmth.

Rest in Peace, Andy...

http://www.striped-bass.com/npsfa/andy_with_lg_bass.jpg

You took the words right out of my mouth John. The extent to which I knew this man was to see him every November on Block Island during the early 90's.I seemed to allways bump into him at first light at Grove Point.What I will allways remember about him,was he never forgot who I was and was very helpfull to me.Very uncommon during those days.I try to be like him to this day.

I only met him once a about 8 years ago when i was getting started in the surf. At Pt judith, i fished for a couple hours without a hit and talked to him on my way to my truck. He said he was waiting to leave for BI.

Condolences to his friends and family.

Sad news.

Best wishes to a giant. Tight lines.

Rest in peace, my friend. May his family be comforted in this time of sorrow.

Sad news. I never knew him, but remember an article/interview in OTW a couple years ago. He had a great knowledge of Surfcasting and related some great stories.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Very sad news :(
my condolences to his friends and family

Thoughts and Prayers to

his family and firends,,,,,,,,,,

May you Rest in Peace, Andy!

Andy was one of the most generous surfcasters i have ever met. A true gentleman and a great fisherman. :(

Thats too bad.I remember a Q&A Joe Lyons did with him in OTW.One of my favorite articles..

his expression says it all
great picture

rest in blissful peace Andy

Thats too bad.I remember a Q&A Joe Lyons did with him in OTW.One of my favorite articles..


agree, ive gone back and re-read this article several times. I love reading about the old sharpies views on surfcasting.

Our paths crossed a few times on BI a long time ago, seemed like a good guy.
Sorry to hear this news.
Jim

I knew him from when I was a member of the Narragansett Pier club. After the article we kept in touch now and then over email - though I had not heard from him lately.
"Generous," is a wonderful word. I've heard from accomplished musicians that those who are truly great are also the most generous - I've found it to be true with many of the best fishermen also. Maybe its because they have nothing to prove, or maybe its because God is judicious in that he does not bestow that kind of talent to the selfish - I'm not sure.
As a sportsman, Andy was a very lucky man. He lived the kind of surfcaster's life we dream about and he was able to share that life with a fabled cast of characters at wonderful places in the best of times. Even in his seventies, he was still very enthusiastic about the sport, still fishing Block Island in the fall.
Not everyone would lend someone a helping hand or tell you where you should be looking, Andy would do that and make you feel like you were welcome. He had a rare welcoming manner which left you with the feeling that he wanted you to do well, to share in his love for the sport. In the end, people are not going to remember how many big fish you caught; they'll remember what kind of person you were, how you made them feel, and what kind of imprint you left on others. If you were fortunate enough to have known Andy Lemar, count yourself among the lucky.

great Post Joe.

rip andy

another great one has passed

I read an interview he had in a book which he mentions fishing with eels, and his take on when and how he sets during the take, and it stuck with me when I was learning to fish with eels... helped me alot... I actually re-read that interview last week because it seemed to stand out for some reason. Thanks for helping me become a better angler Andy...

Great post Joe, sounds like my type of guy, I wish I could have met him. Most good fisherman usually have a mentor who has bestowed the gift. It is not a sport most can learn by just doing by oneself, we have all learned from someone else in the past and need to hold dear those traditions and values to pass on to the next generation. I am lucky to still have my version of Andy still kicking down this way and cherish every moment that we spend together on the rocks. God speed Andy, Dave Collins

I had the privledge and honor of having spent time with Andy in the surf. He taught me a great deal in my younger days and he and I and my late partner Gil fished many nights along "The Gun Mount" shore.

RIP Andy.

Great Guy. R.I.P. Andy.

I met him once at Joe Mollica's shop and sat and talked for a while... really nice man. Everyone who ever mentioned him in conversation about Narragansett surfcasters always added a positive comment. That's a great photo Joe posted and a great post. Sad to see him go. Seems I was just talking with someone about him... maybe Buzz from the Narragansett club. Anyway, too bad.

Well said Joe

Services are tomorrow:

http://www.legacy.com/providence/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=120101045


Lemar, Andrew L. (http://www.legacy.com/providence/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=120101045) http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/EnhancedObit/GBIcon.gif (http://www.legacy.com/providence/Guestbook.asp?Page=GuestBook&PersonID=120101045) View/Sign Guest Book (http://www.legacy.com/providence/Guestbook.asp?Page=GuestBook&PersonID=120101045)
http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/Cobrands/Providence/Photos/BB35019_11122008.jpgLEMAR, ANDREW L. 'CAB', 79, of Narragansett and of East Providence, died November 8, 2008. He was an electronics engineer for Channel 12, before retiring in 1997.

Born in Providence he was a son of the late Andrew Santos Lima and of Viola M. Inez Harrison. Mr. Lemar was a US Navy veteran of WWII. He was active in the Narragansett Pier Sportfishing Assn. and of the Narragansett Surfcasters.

He leaves his children, Kelley Parton and Royce Lemar, both of Ohio; 5 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson, and 13 nephews and nieces. He was the brother of Leroy Oliver Harrison of Wash., and of the late Inez A. Good Peck. He was the stepbrother of Maria, Franklin, and Manuel Santos, all of Providence.

Visitation will be Friday 11 a.m. until 12 noon at the REBELLO FUNERAL HOME, 901 Broadway, East Providence, with a service and military honors to follow at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery, Exeter.

www.rebellofuneralhome.com

my condolences to his friends and family

Rest in peace

I have known Andy for 35 years. He was one of my earliest and most knowlegdable mentors. He taught me, as a young kid, the ways of striper fishing the surf and all of it's nuances. He was kind and generous enough to show me his favorite striper haunts around Gansett in a time when telling spots was sacreligious, way more secretive than it is now. Andy even took the time later to take me fishing. I had one of the best nights in the surf with him, EVER, in the mid 80's on BI. The two of us had 8 stripers, 4 each, all over 40 pounds a piece. I will miss Andy and only wish I had thanked him for all his kindness, generosity, and above all, his friendship. But I think he knew what I thought of him every time we met. RIP old friend, you were the finest kind and will be sorely missed.

...I will miss Andy and only wish I had thanked him for all his kindness, generosity, and above all, his friendship...

Steve, you already have.

I've had mentors too and it's made me think about paying it forward lately - your openess has made me rethink a lot of things, Andy is proud of ya without a doubt for following his example.

Unfortunately, I only knew of him by reputation, never had the pleasure .

The tributes say a lot about the man, but they were also said often while he was still among us.

Rest easy, Andy.

Steve - what Chuck said. Andy knows.

I did not know him but I read some good things about him. May he rest in peace.

I had the pleasure of meeting Andy Lemar some 20 years ago. The first time I met him was late one night while he was casting eels in one of his favorite spots called the “Swimming Hole”. It was a quiet night with little surf and we were able to have a nice conversation about the thing we both loved – chasing striped bass. He loved his job because after the 11:30pm news he could hit the surf at the wee hours.
The next time I met Andy was at Block. Once again he was casting eels into another of his favorite holes. During an era when no one talked Andy was always ready for some conversation and we picked up our discussion about eel fishing and talked about the spot we were at – why we liked it, how the current took our eels, and what tide we thought was best. I found it very easy to speak with him as we both “spoke” the same language.
The one thing that stands out about Andy was that the few times I saw him fish he only used short boots, rain pants, and a slicker – I never saw him in waders. He was most definitely an old school surfcaster. While everyone else was wading the bar Andy would plant himself at the surf line and cast his eels repeatedly into the same bowl of water – but he knew well all the feeding stations that he could reach. Even with limited access he would still keep his catch tally up with those of us clad in waders.
The last time I saw Andy was at a meeting of his fishing club two winters ago during a presentation I was giving about needlefish plugs. Sitting at a table to my side his eyes would light up every time I mentioned Block. He came up to me after the presentation – smiled, shook my hand and told me “Nice Job”.
The next bass I release on Block will be in Andy’s memory.

DZ

Went to BI with Andy several times during the early 90s, little known fact; he was a great jazz afficionado and was a DJ in Ohio, post war. RIP old friend