Thad Rains has passed

I was just informed by best friend that he'd received an e-mail from Thad's sister that Thad passed yesterday. I don't have any details yet of the funeral, but will post a link when that becomes available. He passed at their ranch in West Texas unexpectedly.

For those of y'all who knew Thad personally, you know what a good guy he was. I met him around 20 years ago on the old Bass Fishing Home Page forum. He'd give you the shirt off his back, for real. Every time we fished together, he was offering something. I'd say no, only to find a hand made Sanford crankbait in the boat glove box, a $20 bill in the truck console, always something.

He was a very giving, unselfish and happy go lucky person. He'll be missed.

Mods, I meant to post this in the bass fishing section, can you move it?

Sad news. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

This is very sad news. Thad was always willing to share all of his knowledge about fishing. Just terrible news! He took me out once and put me on Lew fish. Offering prayers and condolences to all of his family. I knew he had medical conditions, but never expected it this bad. RIP, buddy. Your comments will be missed by many...

Very sad news. I did not know Thad personally, but I always enjoyed reading his long articles he would post.

Tight Lines and Be Safe!! RIP Mr. Rains

Sorry to hear he has pasted, he loved to fish...... Good Guy...

Sad news. for the family.

So sad. T&P to his family...

May he Rest In Peace

Man, I hate to hear that. I didn't know him at all other than this forum but I could tell he was an outstanding, caring, man that would do anything to help or offer advice to others. Prayers for his family, he'll be missed on here.

Prayers to the family. He was truly one of the good guys.

Sorry to hear that. I only knew him on the forum. Seemed like a knowledgeable guy who liked to share his wealth of information with anyone who needed help. RIP

Sad new's of such. Thad was surely one of the good guy's and will be missed by so many. May god be with the family through these times and take care of them. RIP Mr. Rains.

Thad was a humble and very kind individual.

Rest in peace sir

Prayers for strength to the family

That sucks! Never met nor spoke with him but his posts and especially the ones with stories from the past were a great read from time to time.

Dang Thad was a good dude. I only met him a couple months ago and had the pleasure to take him on my boat a couple of times We fished togater 2 weeks ago. God speed my friend..

Sad to hear, he always had quality information on the fishing forum

A class act and a gentleman. Always helpful and kind. RIP Mr. Rains

Sad to hear, prayers to the family

Wow I was on the phone with him last week about a trip to AH. Just left a voice mail message this morning.

RIP... Mr. Rains

Damn.

Always enjoyed his posts and his frank outlook on things from time to time. RIP my fishing friend.

thoughts and prayers with the family...R.I.P.

Dang.... I have shared some very informative PMs from Thad over the years he was one of the good ones for sure. Prayers to all his family and friends.

Very sad news... Thad would give me detailed information on ol Lew and I will miss his posts and replies on this forum...he was a great guy... prayers to his Family and Friends.

I hate hearing this. I didn't know him but could tell by his post he enjoyed the time he spent on the lake and just discussing fishing. Prayers for friends and family.

Sorry to hear that, he mentioned he had health issues many times, hopefully he didnt suffer.

"Gone fishing"

This is terribly sad news. Thad was super helpful and we had set a time to scout dove fields in a couple months. Knew of some health issues but did not realize they were acute.

R.I.P. and as he would sign off - "Tight Lines"

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Dang. RIP Thad.

RIP

I want to say I've read a few of his posts quite a few years ago. Prayers going out for your family.

RIP Thad

https://texasfishingforum.com/forum...-our-neighbors-lake-this-am#Post13528526, very sad, I had just posted a pic for him 4-21, RIP friend!

Very sad news. RIP Thad!

RIP and tight lines...

Sorry to hear this. RIP Thad.

man... RIP Thad

Dang. Really sad news... remember reading an article he posted the other day. Condolences to the family.

I feel the same.

We need more people like him. He will be missed.

RIP

Prayers sent to family
RIP

Tight lines.

Rest in Peace TR

Never had a chance to share a boat with him but frequently sought his opinions on anything crankbaiting or anything Lake Lewisville. He was a treasure of knowledge and will be missed. Prayers and condolences to his family and friends.

Sad to hear this. He was with us in the Coppell Bass Club and was a great guy. RIP...

RIP Sir!

Prayers up for his family and friends!

Sad to hear, always seemed to post positive stuff and good information.

RIP Thad

I always smiled when I saw that salutation.

R.I.P.

sad news, RIP Thad.

Prayers for his friends and family.

Another great friend gone. He wrote some of the best articles ever; like on the crank baits. We will never be able to replace this man; as he had so much knowledge to share. May God Bless You and Keep You; until we meet again.
Donald

In 1998 Thad caught the then Lake Lewisville lake record bass.

Rest in Peace Thad! Catch you a biggun up there.

Proud to have Thad on my boat. He turned me on to my favorite rod in my arsenal. Tight lines and keep safe buddy

Rest In Peace.

Dang. Never met him but enjoyed his posts and going back and forth on fishing. Prayers up to him and his family

Rest In Peace Mr. Rains.. Prayers to his family members.

Sad to hear. I always enjoyed reading his writings on bass fishing.

Thoughts and prayers to his family. I never had the fortune to meet Mr. Rains or fish with him, but I did enjoy his comments and advice on this forum. Knowledge from us fishermen that we have gained is well worth passing on to others. That is part of our legacy we pass on.

RIP

We lost a good one there. RIP Thad, from an old Coppell Bass Club comrade.

We had just been messaging about fishing a tourney together....

RIP THAD RAINS.

He seemed like an awesome person

He will be missed and remembered well.

Met Thad about 20 years ago on the wmi.org fishing page, which before the TFF came along, was probably the most popular Texas fishing page on the web. He and I along with Triton Mike Bucca and another guy formed Team Doo-dad, which was just a catchy name for hand tied feathered treble hooks Mike made. We would trade e-mails and information on certain lakes as to what was working or not working. I knew he had some underlying health conditions for some time now, but he never really talked that much about them. If you get a chance go back and read some of his threads. When I read them, I felt as if he was as if he was trying to pass on all his knowledge while he still could, like a father to a son. He was very detail oriented, and was always sending me stuff to try or new ideas for existing baits.
RIP Mr. Rains, it was a pleasure to call you a friend and fellow team member.
Team Doo-Dad

Prayers to the Rains Family

RiP Thad

Darn. Wife and I have been thinking about retiring to Lubbock. Was looking forward to picking his brain about West Texas fishing. RIP Mr. Rains.

Tight lines, Rest In Peace

"Tight lines, stay safe, and good luck" seemed like his MO. Paul Harvey type fellow. RIP.

Although I never had the privilege to meet him in person, Thad was prominent figure on TFF and seem like a genuine down-to-Earth kind of guy. I always appreciated his posts and comments sharing his vast knowledge of bass fishing. My condolences to his friends and family. As he would always say, "Tight lines, stay safe and good luck"...

Whatever man, I'm not crying. You're crying. What a wonderful guy

Well said. Wow... I always loved hearing his thoughts and reading his articles. Prayers sent to the family and friends..

Prayers for the family
I will miss his comments

He was a good guy and a friend. His sister is a jewel too. I just bought a new to me 2011 Phoenix 719 pro x that I am in the process of making like new in my shop. I hadn’t told Thad about it on purpose. We fish together and I wanted to show up pulling it when I picked him up the next time. It would have been more comfortable for these two old bass fisherman. We hadn’t had anything to fish in for a while because I did away with my old 1994 boat. I didn’t get it finished in time and that is sad. Wish I had told him. RIP Thad you will be missed.

Prayers for his family and friends. I always enjoyed reading his informative posts. Rest in piece.

Wow sorry to hear of Thad's sudden passing Have known him for over 15 years, my sincere condolences to his family


Debra

+1 Pretty much sums it up he was always sharing information...what a loss for everyone

RIP Thad. You will be missed

Prayers for family and friends

RIP sir,

This is sad news. I remember reading something he wrote within the last couple of days. He seemed like a great guy. His family will be in my prayers.

Tight lines in Heaven, Mr. Rains! Prayers for his family and friends.

Very sad to hear. I didn't know him but he always answered any messages I sent to him. Seemed like a great guy and was always
willing to help.

This^

Prayers sent for his family and friends.

I didn’t know him but it’s clear the impact he had on bass fishing in Texas, on this forum, and many of its members. Seemed like a great guy, backed up by many of the messages here. RIP, Thad.

RIP. Sad news. He was always on point with his advice.

Thad.
Rest in peace

Sad news, everyone will miss his informative posts

Very sad news, Thad was a great guy, he has given me great info over pm's, he will be missed.

Did not have the pleasure of meeting Thad, but his posts suggest that he was a genuinely good man.
I pray his family finds peace.

Prayers sent to the family!

Very sad to hear. I did not "know" him other than from the forum. He always gave out good solid information. RIP condolences to the family.

Prayers to Thad, family and friends....

RIP Thad-The good lord needed a fishing buddy

Fished with Thad multiple times on Alan Henry. He always caught fish. Rest easy, Rains

sad to hear this, had just PM'd Thad last week.

Is anyone aware of details, or any foundation or medical group we could financially give to in his honor?

This is terrible news..hate losing anyone especially our fellow Forum Members.

Tight Lines ..

Never met the man but always enjoyed his posts. Seems like he was always will to help.

Rest in piece kind sir.

Enjoyed his posts. Rest in peace.

Prayers to his family. RIP Thad.

So sad to hear as I always enjoyed his comments and full of knowledge. Rest In Peace good sir and go catch them golden bass!

Wow. What a bummer. He was very kind to me in our exchanges through this forum and he shared a great deal of information willingly. My regards to his family and friends. RIP!!!

I hate to hear this. I know Thad recently posted about fishing as a co-angler this year so I assumed he was getting better with some of his medical issues.

I too knew Thad from the days of the Bass Fishing Home page. Lots of folks on here from those days. I met Thad the same day I first met Debra Hengst. We were at Richland Chambers at one of the BFHP get togethers. And as mentioned, Thad was freely giving away info and passed along to me his secret trick for the day. It was a small orange Colorado blade he was adding to his spinnerbaits. That blade was in my tackle box to be rotated as needed for many years after. Thad was the type who was always freely giving of himself. He was a rare and unique individual and will be missed greatly.

RIP Thad Rains.

RIP Mr Rains.. we discussed crankbait fishing and bass fishing in general numerous times.

Sad to hear this. Prayers for his family.

Hi K.D,
Remember that day well.
Yourself, Thad and I were longtime BFHP originals, and now I can't believe we have been on the TFF board for 20 years.
Gave my condolences earlier in this thread, we are losing so many great ones and so much knowledge

Debra

Hate to hear about him passing Didnt know him but liked reading his articles on crankbaits cause i throw them a lot RIP Mr Rains

Rest In Peace Mr. Rains.

RIP Thad Rains . I always read what he posted .

Mr. Thad, sorry to hear. Best wishes to his Family.

Man i hate to hear this. I know he was looking forward to getting back on the water after several health setbacks.

I was fortunate enough to have him onboard a few times during the working man tourneys he would host on Alan Henry. There is no doubt that he wanted to help others be the best fishermen they could be and was always willing to offer friendly advice.

He was definitely one of the good guys.

R.I.P. Thad

I met Thad back gosh in the late 90's when he got that 11lber?? out of Lake Lewisville when I had just moved there to Arlington, TX. But conversed with him on the BFHP long before I had the privilege of meeting him. Thad was the ultimate gentleman. Had the pleasure of fishing with him many times. Love you Thad!! Rest in peace my friend!! YOu and Troy don't soremouth all the fish up there my friend. Prayers to the family.

"Triton" Mike Bucca

Dam!

Always liked his willingness to give tips and info out. Seemed like a knowledgeable fisherman.

Will miss his sign off.

Shocked to read this. RIP Mr. Rains !

Sad news. Prayers for his family . I enjoyed reading his posts.

I too remember Thad Rains posts on bassfishing which were always informative. 1st saw his post on the old bass fishing homepage. Never met him, we lost a great bassfishermen. Condolences to the family.

Sad news for sure! My prayers and condolences sent for his family and friends!

Rest in peace will be missed

May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort during their grief

May Thad Rest In Peace.

Made me the "Mean Green" man I am today. Rest in peace Mr Rains and prayers to family and friends.

PRAYERS

Rest in peace Thad

https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/13552695/in-memoriam#Post13552695

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/lubbock-tx/thad-rains-9172817

Viewing will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, May 11, 2020 at Resthaven's Abbey Chapel.

Graveside Service will follow at 2:00 p.m. at Resthaven Memorial Park.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Foundation or charity of your choice.

Sad to hear this. Here seemed like a very nice person with an enthusiasms for sharing his love of fishing.