From Houston, did you enjoy going south to Galveston?

Yes, “this”…. Please tell all those people in the traffics the same thing and that will be just fine! No reason to go to Galveston. Far drive. Bad beach and its only a beach. Please don’t go.

 

That’s a fine howdydo

 

Yep, still do.

 

In what world is the answer not "Doy"?

 

Wow, I've never seen a gator off the beach in the water at Galveston. Now that would freak me out big time.

 

I would see gators in the brackish water in Anahuac while fishing in the surf. It was always a bit unnerving to have a stringer of fish tied to your belt loop so yeah I popped for a quick release even in my poverty times. We'd also see them in the pools of water we'd cast for our bait shrimp. I didn't loop it around my wrist just in case you snagged one and it death rolls

Yeah I was a little paranoid.

 

They are all over the place down there. I’ve caught some smaller ones fishing in canals.

 

Most people don’t realize there are gators everywhere around Houston. My stepdad and I used to go to a fishing hole he found in Danbury and there were gators there. A couple of times he poached them and fried them up. Gooo-ooood eatin’.

 

Heavy rains push them downstream, then they'll go back where they belong.

Relatedly: Bull sharks are taking over the bays...run to the hills

https://www.statesman.com/story/new...by-bull-sharks-texas-populations/74511480007/

Only had 1 encounter with a bull shark, as it ate the stringer of fish attached to my waist. Only gator encounter was when I paddled up next to one and said "sup?"

 

I've seen a lot of huge gators kayaking in Armand bayou, but I don't swim there. That's why the thought of them under a wave off the beach freaks me out more.

 

There are a lot of gators in the bayous around Katy and Barker Reservoir where I have done some fishing. They usually just mind their own business. There was just one time one was clocking me hard and just kept creeping closer and closer to the shore. I packed up my stuff and left.

 

To call it a beach is it a bit of a stretch. It’s more like a coastal dumping ground.

 

I grew up on the West side of Houston / Memorial area and still live here now. Always knew we lived near literal wetlands...always knew gators couldn't be too far from my front door...just glad they never visited

 

This is for you

 

My dad lived in Missouri City on Lake Olympia back in the 2000's and he had a pier in his backyard. We used to fish off of it and we'd see gators all the time. They liked to sit in the middle of the lake and just stare at us, which was a little creepy.

One time I left my line in the water and went inside for a while. I looked out to see the rod basically bent in half and moving all around and there was a gator that got my hook stuck in his mouth.

These were smaller gators but I'll bet they're all full grown now.

 

I've been to Galveston a million times, but strangely enough never actually set foot on the beach (we always went to bolivar/crystal for beach access). It's a special place though. I think the Strand and the Seawall are unique. Moody Gardens is always interesting. Schlitterbahn was a welcome addition. Yeah sure the water is dirty, but it's not like you're gonna snorkel there even if the water was clear so who gives a ****?

 

I substituted galveston for Port Aransas. I like the bird center/swamp, packery channel, and fishing piers. I also like downtown corpus christi.

 

I had a green VW van I used to drive down to Galveston from Clear Lake with the fellows to go surfing. That was always a good time! We always stopped at the McDonald's (on 62nd street I think..forget?) on the way back. The only issue with that is people were McDonald's farting on the way home. Never saw a gator, dolphin, or shark in those many trips.

The closest I ever came to ocean danger was wade fishing at Texas City Dyke when I was around 11. On the way in and at shore, my lower front leg hit one of those sharp rocks and split open. I had to to go the hospital ER.

 

I got jabbed by a stingray walking back to the shore after surfing by that pier about 15 years ago.
I followed the firemen in my car back to their station, and almost passed out from pain driving those couple blocks so they could soak it in hot water. It took about 45 minutes until the pain subsided enough for me to drive back home to Corpus.

They said they get about 300 people a summer jabbed by stingrays there. Crazy. I never met a single person who got jabbed by a stingray in all the years we spent surfing in Galveston growing up. Those stingrays in Port A love coming to the shallow water by that pier to sun in the afternoon. I saw another guy get jabbed one day while I was taking a surf break, and a friend of mine said she got jabbed by one there too. Man, that was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced in my life until I got my ankle in hot water to neutralize the venom. The pain subsided 50% almost immediately after I put it in a tub of hot water.