tf - I know exactly what you are talking about. Used to fish that area from Choupique Bayou south to Oyster Bayou long and hard for reds and specks.
That situation and even in the GIWW is a dangerous situation when those vessels don't obey the rules of the road and watch their wakes. Here are a few rules that might help you.
1.) Any time one has waves that makes you take water over the bow, call the Coast Guard and report the vessel, its name, its MV# (if it is a shrimp boat), home port (on stern), and time of the incident. It will probably not get them in trouble but it will often get them a visit or phone call by the Coast Guard. Might help them slow down in the future. The law of the road is "They Are Responsible For Their Wakes."
2.) Watch the shoreline, the bigger the breakers are on the shoreline, then the larger the waves are. When in an airboat near a deep channel, I run the skinny water right along the shoreline, less than a foot if possible and if I know the country, in depths less than 6 inches. Saves on fuel, increases speed per RPM, and if you do have something happen, if the water is less than 2 feet you are sitting on the bottom (But I do know there are lots of spots along there that you don't have the option, just because the water drops off deep fairly fast.). Keep a good danford anchor aboard and attached. You can anchor a sunk boat and keep it from getting sucked into deeper water.
3.) Run like *ell. Learn that 180 turn at cruise speed and learn it well. Watch the wind direction on tight 180s. If possible turn so the wind is not pushing you towards the outside of the turn. When you see big breakers and have time, do a 180 and run. Beware were you run to, you probably know that those large waves run up little cuts into the marsh very fast. Can drain it out and have a mini tidal wave come rushing back in.
4.) Buck thruster gave the best advice I know of when crossing big waves. Stay on the throttle, keep the RPMs steady and beware of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th waves that may be in line. In that situation, you are counting on the thrust to keep you on plane and above the water. Can be very dangerous and I have barely made it through a couple in the past. The bumps of the waves may make you foot ease off and one the throttle, try to keep those RPMS up and steady.
5.) If you are in the GIWW, beware of those tugs without barges and these nice pleasure boats that cruise in the 20+ knots range. With them, when inside the GIWW (and only there) you can often see the breakers on the shoreline. I do something that may be foolish to some, but if I see one, I stand up while on throttle and look closely for waves. If there are waves, I line up with their bows in the middle of the channel and as they tack to either side, I do the same. They typically come off throttle quickly and look at me while I pass sort of like crazy. I just point at their stern waves and do the "what's going on" with my hands. It even works with Coasties as well.
But be ready to talk to them boys afterwards. :wink: When you tell them they were going to sink you, they get real understanding.
6.) If they get within 100 yards or so, I swing around a 180 and do a #3 and run. I have done this several times to a single vessel. Once when I was west of the Ellender Bridge where the rocks are lining both sides of the GIWW. Got ahead and lined up again, it took 4 trys to get the guy to realize what was up. Heck I thought I was going to be chased all the way to the Salt ditch. But he finally idled by.
Lastly, this is one reason that the life jackets are on and zipped up at all times.
You might want to look at different launch locations to access the marsh to minimize running along the Calcasieu River. Those crew boats & offshore shrimp boats can really makes some mean rollers.
