Editor’s Notes

by CHESTER MOORE, JR. :: TF&GEditor-in-Chief

Waves of Unusual Size

UNEXPECTED OR “ROGUE waves” are one of, if not the most frightening thing an angler or boater can encounter.

Waves of dangerous heights catch people o guard each year and unfortunately kill people in Texas and other areas of the Gulf Coast.

Texas Fish & Game has learned of a couple of areas in Galveston Bay as well as other locations where large waves from a combination of shipping tra c, currents, and wind sometimes cause dangerous situations.

Have you ever encountered one of these “rogue” waves in a bay or channel in Texas?

If so email me at chester@chestermoore.com.

We would love to hear your story. We want to share a special investigative story in the July/ August issue as well as a series of follow-ups in the Fish & Game report e-newsle er.

From what we have uncovered so far, this issue is large, widespread, and has impacted a lot of people along the Texas Gulf Coast.

For example, reader Chris Polnick recently shared this harrowing encounter with us.

“Across from the dike quite a few years back, a buddy and I were doing some night shing. We were out at the end of the small je y. e waters were calm. We were out there a few hours, and I estimated the water line at the time to be at least three feet below the top of the je y. Suddenly, a wave hit the je y and the water pulled way back o the rocks and wave number two was enough to splash us,” he said.

Polnick said as the water pulled even further back from the second wave, the duo had just enough time to grab what they could before the third wave washed across the top of the je y,

“Luckily for us, we were able to maintain our footing. Much higher and we would have been pushed o the je y for sure. We lost some tackle boxes, a rod, and a few other items. You don’t think much about a life jacket on the je y, but we came real close to needing one that night!”

A er posting an article at shgame.com asking for rogue wave stories, I got an email from David Clark, the Recreational Boater Safety Representative for the Lone Star Harbor Safety Commi ee in the Houston- Galveston area.

He is also Chairman of a Working Group that was formed in early 2021 to increase recreational boater awareness of the waves generated by ships transiting the Houston Ship Channel.

“We designed signage that will be placed at the boat ramps and other locations around the Galveston Bay Complex. e signs are being manufactured now and installation should begin in May. Currently, 5”x7” cards of the sign graphic are being displayed, along with other boating safety literature, at bait shops, marinas, shing tackle stores, etc., in the area. e signs will have a QR code that directs people to the Recreational Boater Resources area of the Lone Star Harbor Safety Commi ee’s website,” he said.

As far as coastal stories go, this is in my opinion on par with the award-winning great whites of the Gulf Coast series of articles we have published. It is deeply interesting.

What’s coming in the next issue will be a truly unique look at situations too many anglers nd themselves in more frequently than I even thought.

And a personal encounter with one of these rogue waves in the Sabine system is what inspired a look into the issue. e story hopes to raise awareness and save lives.

And it might just send cold shivers down your spine.

Some of these stories are pre y intense.

Email Chester Moore at cmoore@fi shgame.com