< Previous50 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 HOOKED north and south jetties will provide some of the best angling opportunities because they’re far from most major sources of fresh- water runoff. The surf and beachfront along Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula are great options, too. Over in Sabine Lake, the best areas to fish are on the southern third of the lake, as well as along the Sabine ship channel and around Sabine Pass and the jetties. Deep structures such as oyster shell reefs, rocks and riprap are the ticket for target- ing speckled trout and redfish right now. Sheepshead and black drum can be found at the jetties, with some trout and reds mixed in as well. Marshes and back lakes also are still holding some fish, including redfish and flounder. The key is finding stretches with clean water and plenty of baitfish. When targeting speckled trout over deep structures like oyster reefs and rock piles, anglers should expect the fish to be holding tight along the bottom. In this scenario, I prefer to use soft plas- tics manufactured by Z-Man Fishing Products and MirrOlure, rigged on a 3/8-ounce jig head. Working soft plastics over structures like oyster shell and rocks, I try to make the bait bounce along the bottom, almost as if I’m trying to hang it up on the shell or rocks; and sometimes I do get the lure stuck. That’s OK, and just part of the game. If you’re not bouncing the bait along the bot- tom, you’re likely not going to get bit. For redfish, I’ll be chucking two baits by Bill Lewis Fishing — the Hammer Trap and the ATV Squarebill Crankbait. Both of these hard baits are made to deflect off rocks and riprap. Just like when targeting trout, I’ll be using a retrieve that makes the baits bang along the structures near the bottom. Redfish typically strike the lures as they bounce off a rock, shell or other debris along the bottom. The Bill Lewis Hammer Trap and ATV Squarebill Crankbait also will be players along the jetties. In marshes and back lakes, topwater plugs, scented soft plastics and live bait all will produce strikes. Live shrimp should coax just about anything lurking around the jetties to bite as well. As the weeks wear on, the freshwater dumped into our bay systems should mix with saltier water and salinity should rise and stabilize. This should result in more productive options and locations coming in to play for anglers to successfully target. Until then, make plans to focus your ef- forts in areas holding salty water. Use tactics that are going to put you in the best position to get hooked up with the species you are targeting, and have some fun. Summer is an excellent time to make memories on the wa- ter, and it will pass as quickly as it came. Capt. Nate Skinner caught this hefty redfish on a Bill Lewis Hammer Trap while fishing an area with riprap along the edge of a deep channel.June 19 2024 Celebrate Juneteenth Home of Galveston’s First Citywide Celebration of Emancipation Walk in the footsteps of the ancestors as we Re-Enact the Historic EMANCIPATION MARCH and EMANCIPATION SERVICE History and Fun for Everyone! Don’t Miss the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Family Fun Event Family fun – Noon – 5:45 pm Emancipation March – 6:00 pm Emancipation Service – 6:15 pm Celebrate Juneteenth Where It All Began 2015 – Broadway Galveston, TX 7550 For additional information and program schedule, contact www.reedychapel.com • 409-762-201652 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 HOMEPORT ‘A COOL HOUSE’ Family transforms famous A-frame building into a proper island beach getaway story by SHANNON CALDWELL | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS G alveston’s West End has the Kettle House, the East End has many historic landmark homes, and in the middle of the island is the A-frame House. Built in 1962, the distinctive home on Beluche Drive has lived many lives. It was the sales office for the Havre Lafitte neighborhood, an event venue and community hall for the homeowners association, a derelict building, and a bachelor pad before its current transformation into a family holiday home. For the past 51 years, the building has been owned by Terry Moore, who remembers the first day he went inside as if it was yesterday. “At the time, I was working at Sea-Arama Marine World skiing in the ski show, swimming with the killer whales and wrestling alligators,” Moore said. “I was going to a fried-chicken place to get some chicken gizzards for my ski- ers, and we did a short cut through Havre Lafitte. My friend Karen made me stop by the A-frame. A storm was com- ing, and she dared me to go inside. All the windows were (Above) Terry Moore knew he wanted to own the A-frame house in Galveston since he was dared to go inside it. Moore has transformed the former sales office for the Harve Lafitte neighborhood into a beach home for his whole family. (Opposite) Cedar planks encase beams that span the living room. A feature wall that holds the television and fireplace is made of coral stone from Key Largo. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 5354 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 HOMEPORT broken, it was derelict at that point. There were candles on the stove in the kitchen, so someone had been there. But when the rain came, it was as dry as can be. That night, when I went home to my parents in Texas City, I told them I’d seen the house I wanted to buy.” Havre Lafitte was a new, expensive neighborhood and Moore’s parents were doubtful he could afford it despite the fact he was working three jobs at Sea-Arama, in the city of Galveston City’s engineering department, as a bar tender, and an instruc- tor at a sailing school. Undeterred, Moore tracked down the A-frame’s owner, Ed Evans of Ideal Lumber, and asked whether he could buy the building. While the price Evans wanted was out of his reach, they agreed Moore could rent the A-frame and do it up as long as he purchased supplies from Ideal Lumber. Moore had his work cut out for him. The front door and all the windows were broken, there was no electricity, and it was an office rather than a home with just a kitchen, open living space and two bathrooms. The yard was full of 5-foot-tall weeds that took Moore a week to clear. He worked hard to make it his own “man cave” with a bedroom loft, a bathroom with clawfoot tub and overhead shower. He put cedar planking on all the walls so he wouldn’t have to paint them. “At first, I just slept on the bare floor be- cause it was such a cool house,” Moore said. Impressed by Moore’s hard work, Evans agreed to sell the A-frame to him. Sea-Arama closed, and Moore’s career shifted to bars. He helped set up and run successful and popular discos at the Jack Tar Hotel and at Pier 23, lucrative jobs that enabled him to pay off his mortgage, he said. A lucky day fishing in Florida opened the door to an exciting career as a ship captain on exclusive fishing charters. Moore’s life moved to Key Largo, and he rented out the A-frame for a couple of decades. “About four years ago, my wife, Darlene, said we need to do up the A-frame and we need to do it properly,” Moore said. “It needs to be a beach house for the whole family. She worked with our contractor Randy Lee, and they have transformed it into something beautiful that I really enjoy. A lot of people helped along the way.” Lee took the home back to the studs and moved the central staircase 6 feet to make (Above) The wide kitchen features a large island with seating for four. The support beam at the end of the island is made from a stainless-steel shaft of an old tug boat from T&T Marine. (Opposite) A loft at the top of Terry Moore’s A-frame home looks down on the open atrium on the second floor and the first-floor living room. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 5556 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 HOMEPORT room for a primary bedroom and ensuite. The ground floor also houses the kitchen, laundry and a guest bathroom. Above is two loft bedrooms for the couple’s five grandchildren and an atrium that looks down on the open living space. The loft bedrooms have barn doors and there are three large windows in the atrium because Moore wanted to protect the open and airy design of the A-frame. Moore’s love for the A-frame is apparent in his pride in the transformation and the stories he has for all its design elements and long history. A curved wall in the living area features a “shark skin” texture that Lee developed spe- cifically for the home and coral stone panels from the couple’s beloved Key Largo. The COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 57 (Clockwise from top left) LED lighting accentuates the angles in the upper lofts; Terry Moore’s contractor, Randy Lee, created a custom sink from tile in the small guest bathroom on the first floor; a barn door for a guest room is customized for the steep angles of the walls of the unique home; the primary ensuite bathroom features a clawfoot tub and dual sinks. CASINO CASINO SHOWCASE BUSINESS BUSINESS FREEADMISSION DOORPRIZES FREEFOODSAMPLES SHOPLOCALBUSINESS OVER60EXHIBITORS WINPRIZES&GIVAWAYS TryyourluckattheTexasHoldemtableand blackjacktable,rollthediceatthecraps tableorspinthewheelattheroulettetable! www.TCLMchamber.com58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 59 21st Annual Patrick F. Doyle Saltwater Invitational Fishing Tournament June 12-13 Topwater Grill Benefiting Formoreinformationpleaseemail Shannon@shannon@SouthLandTitle.net www.SouthLandTitle.net 6710StewartRd.,Ste200 Galveston,TX77551 409.744.0727 BESTTITLECOMPANY 2023|2022|2021|2020 BESTLAWFIRM 2023|2022|2021|2020 BESTATTORNEY 2023|2022 HOMEPORT guest bathroom was too small for a traditional sink, so Lee created an in-wall sink from tile. There’s a stainless steel motif throughout the house on the staircase, a giant ceiling fan, and in the kitchen that boasts an incred- ible walk-in pantry with floating hardwood shelves. One standout is a supporting pole made from a stainless steel shaft from a tugboat from the salvage yard of Moore’s old island friend Rudy Teichman. Although Moore loves the A-frame’s transformation, he’s proud the design kept a couple of his “man cave” elements. Under the home is a bar, gym, two powerboats, wa- ter skis and memorabilia from his Sea-Arama days. His original clawfoot tub has been reconditioned for the primary ensuite and the living space includes cedar wood beams reminiscent of the cedar planks he put up on the walls all those years ago. (Clockwise from left) Terry Moore’s deck overlooks Lake Madeline in the Harve Lafitte neighborhood in Galveston. His A-frame home was once the sales office for the neighborhood; Moore stores his vintage MasterCraft boats, water skis and bicycles under his home; there’s also a “man cave” with a tiki bar where he displays photos from his days with the Sea-Arama Marine World water-ski show.Next >