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Helen and Jed flourished with love, devotion
By George Van Zant,
Staff columnist
Inside SOCAL
Article Launched:09/26/2007 11:33:43 PM PDT
Hey you male readers have you ever done this for your wives?
"65 years ago we were wed, happy Helen and lucky Jed.
How did I happen to meet this pearl?
She substituted for another girl.
So come on folks let's celebrate.
What happened on that super blind date."
Jed Welsh wrote a poem like this to Helen on all wedding anniversaries,
Valentine's Day and Helen's birthdays. We males could learn from this if we
knew how to write a poem.
If you were to knock on Jed Welsh's front door you would see a large plaque
across the door that said, "An Old Fisherman Lives Here With The Catch Of His
Life." Another old saying you have heard many times is, "Behind every great
man there is a great woman." Both statements equally fit the mold of Helen
Welsh, the lovely wife of Jed Welsh the outdoor writer, hunter and fisherman
and my teacher.
Helen met Jed while he was attending USC and they immediately found reliance
in each other and wedded in the year 1938, 69 years ago. But very quickly
Jed's cash flow decreased to the point where he had to quit school and go to
work. Helen was an accomplished secretary and a super financial person who
recognized Jed's potential in the sporting goods field. Helen recognized that
he knew nothing about finances and believe it or not realized that he didn't
write very well, especially, about the Field and Stream world.
So they opened a tackle store business where Jed was the traveling salesman
and fishing equipment guru and Helen the accountant. Jed traveled around
drumming up business while Helen kept the records straight, did the invoicing
and ran the shop. The business soon bloomed under Jed's guidance in the
tackle field but really boomed as Helen controlled the business end of
things. They had four or five women employees that tied flys and some men
that put together leaders for every aspect of the fishing world. They made
surf leaders, trout leaders, and rock cod leaders, steel leaders and sand dab
leaders.
Once, I was fishing the American River in Sacramento for spring-running shad.
The guy next to me was casting a fly and catching a nice shad every other
cast, and I was catching nothing.
In two hours the fly-guy got all the shad he wanted and gave me a handful of
the flys he was using. After close scrutiny I realized that the flys were
Genuine Jed Welsh Go-Getters.
I had used the go-getters many times in the ocean but never in fresh water.
Yes, I enjoyed catching those shad every other cast.
Last week I found a "Genuine Jed Welsh Salmon Egg Leader" in a Burney tackle
shop in Northern California. At one point in the Welsh tackle history the
entire state was flooded with "Genuine Jed Welsh" tackle. Soon Jed became so
well known he became a representative for some major sporting companies. They
sold the business at this point and Jed began his writing career.
For over 60 years Helen typed the stories that Jed wrote. Jed wrote stories
on "how to do it" for magazines and newspapers and Helen typed every magazine
article and newspaper column that he wrote. She typed on a portable 1950
Royal Typewriter for the duration of those years. I really enjoyed the
interaction of Helen and Jed as Helen corrected Jed's column grammar and word
selection or spelling. Jed was near deaf so Helen had to yell so loud the
neighbors heard all that occurred, along with me.
When Jed's son Jed was born an old employee of the shop, Kenny Mais, said
Helen about flipped when he announced in the newspaper that his wife landed a
10-pounder last night. Kenny said also the woman fly-tiers all loved Helen
because she let them listen to the radio "soap" programs while they tied the
flies.
Helen actually kept Jed on the straight and narrow. She helped him with his
writing, kept him on strict calendar discipline, dressed him in proper attire
for speaking engagements and reminded him about going out on too many fishing
trips. (To which he never listened.)
Helen is now 93 and enjoying reasonably good health. She still resides in her
home of 30 years in Naples.
If you had planned on donating something for Jed's passing, remember that Jed
always worked with kids and it was a major part of his life. Jed never missed
a local kids fishing tournament where he showed up to lend moral support and
know-how to the kids. Jed's family has asked that all donations be sent to
The Long Beach Rod and Gun Club "Fishing In The City Kids Program" c/o Bud
Klecker, Club Secretary, 12636 St. Mark Street, Garden Grove CA 92845.
Lobster season on tap
For lobster fishermen, the season for you starts this Friday night at
midnight. There is a rumor circulating about the DFG creating size limits on
the hoop nets that were sold by the hundreds last year. Lieutenant Kent
Smirl, division head for the game wardens on the coast, assured me that there
is no change in the size planned for this year. There is a study though
planned for this year by the DFG biologists to measure the impact of the hoop
nets on the lobster take. But nothing will be changed until next year, if at
all. So you are all cleared to use the same nets you used last year.
A tip! I have found that during my diving trips at night the "bugs" like to
crawl up close to the surface and grab various pieces of garbage that float
by, for what reason I don't know.
Another tip. You hoop net guys be careful that you know the regulations. Only
five baited hoop nets per person are allowed and no more than 10 baited hoop
nets are allowed from each boat.
Also, if you measure the lobster wrong, you will pay! Carry a measuring
device, it's the law.
Waterfowl season near
The waterfowl season is also upon us.
The Northeastern and San Joaquin zones open to duck and geese hunters on
Saturday, Oct. 6. The Southern zone opens Oct. 20 and quail season also opens
Oct. 20. |
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