A special day for a special man.
Terry Welch never fished for crappie, but he traveled more than 300 miles from his home in Long Beach to Birmingham, Alabama to attend the 2023 Crappie Expo that September.
With his wife, Janet, pushing his wheelchair, Welch encountered Big Mike Jones, a promoter with Bait-n-Thangs Outdoors in Chatham and the roving reporter for Redneck Adventures TV, at the Visit Mississippi booth. Jones learned that a 17-year-old Welch joined the Marine Corps in 1971 as the Vietnam War raged in Asia. Welch spent most of his time in the Corps at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina with tours at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Panama.
“Terry looked like he was in a really bad depression,” Jones recalled recently. “I started talking to him. He told me he would like to try crappie fishing. I asked him if he would like to meet some professional crappie fishermen.”
Jones soon enlisted Joel Harris of Joel Harris Fishing, a crappie guide from Belmont. Harris took Welch around the arena and introduced him to some professional fishermen. They gave the veteran a baseball cap signed by many anglers.
“Terry came back over to me, and he was just glowing with happiness,” Jones said. “He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. I invited him to the Big Mama Crappie and Bass Tournament on Lake Washington and to a writer’s camp there. We honored him at the Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum in Leland and arranged a fishing trip for him.”
Although he normally uses a wheelchair, Welch can walk short distances. His son Jacob helped Welch into a boat belonging to James Callaway, a professional crappie angler.
“Dad was really excited about going on this trip,” Jacob Welch said. “He’s been talking about it since he came back from Birmingham. I thank everyone involved and appreciate what they did for my dad and other veterans.”
We caught some crappie and a catfish. One crappie that Terry caught weighed close to two pounds. We let them go to spawn. I enjoyed fishing with Terry and his son. It made my heart full seeing Terry catch fish.
After a week of cold, brutally windy conditions, Callaway headed out into Lake Washington on another gloomy, chilly day. However, Welch’s smile soon brightened everyone in the boat.
Callaway set out six rods, each tipped with a Pico crankbait, which looks like a baitfish. Callaway added a spinner jig above the crankbaits for extra enticement. He attached each line to a “planer board,” brightly colored floating blocks designed to separate the lines. With the rods in holders, James slowly pulled the baits with electric motor power.
“We caught some crappie and a catfish,” Callaway said. “One crappie that Terry caught weighed close to two pounds. We let them go to spawn. I enjoyed fishing with Terry and his son. It made my heart full seeing Terry catch fish.”
“This was the first time I’d ever been cranking for crappie,” Terry Welch said. “I had seen videos on the internet, but it was good to see it in person. I appreciate getting invited to go on this trip with my son. I never thought I’d meet professional fishermen like James. Thanks to everyone who made this happen.”
For more information, call Jones at 662-822-2087.
During the production of this issue, Terry Welch passed away on April 6, 2024. The staff of Today in Mississippi sends their thoughts and prayers to Terry’s family and friends.
