Santa Rosa Sound is a pristine body of water found in the panhandle running parallel between Highway 98 and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sound is a 35-mile stretch of the intercoastal waterway. On each end you'll find a bay. To the east you'll enter Choctawhatchee Bay and to the west you'll find Pensacola Bay, which is surrounded by fascinating historical places including; Fort McRae, Fort Pickens, and Pensacola's Naval Air Station.

The greatest thing about fishing Santa Rosa Sound is the fact that catching a three-fish Santa Rosa Slam can easily be done. This requires catching a speckled trout, redfish, and flounder all in one fishing trip. Another appealing aspect is it can all be done using the same rod and reel. Ideally, you'll want to use a six-and-a-half or seven-foot rod with a reel that can hold at least two hundred yards of eight- to twelve-pound test line. If you want to give the trout and redfish a try on the fly rod, a six- to eight-weight outfit will work fine.

There are several good boat launches down on the sound, but you may be limited, depending on the size of your boat. Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze has an excellent launch that can accommodate any size boat. If you're in Navarre, you may want to try the launch located next to Sailor's Grill on Navarre Beach.

For those who don't have boats, inshore charters are readily available. Up-to-date fishing reports and information on charters are available at www.hotspotsfishing.com.

It's also a good idea to check out the local tackle shops. Gulf Breeze Bait & Tackle located in Gulf Breeze carries a full line of live and dead bait as well as any tackle or equipment you could need. They're only minutes from the water and have a parking lot to accommodate boat trailers.

Roaming the Grass for Speckled Trout
Fishing for speckled trout is what Santa Rosa Sound is best known for. At anytime of the year the sound can produce a good stringer of fish. Summertime produces more fish, but the average size is much smaller. Much of the sound is made up of brown, sea-grass bottom. This grass is home to loads of small baitfish, which of course, the larger fish feed on. Equally important though, the grass keeps the oxygen level up and filters the water, which in return, is the reason why the water is crystal clear much of the year. Depending on where you are in the sound, you may find grass flats in only inches of water, yet in other places it may be so deep it's not even visible.

Once you reach the flats the fun begins. As with all types of fishing, there are countless different tactics to try. For myself, I like to drift or slowly move around using the trolling motor. You'll likely have better luck fishing shallow water early in the morning and then moving deeper once it begins to warm up.

When trout fishing, I like to use a combination of live and artificial baits. Speckled trout are one of those fish where ‘the larger the bait, the larger the fish' definitely applies. If you're searching for big fish, try four- to eight-inch baits like pinfish, pigfish, mullet, or my personal favorite, croakers. For those anglers looking for quantity over quality, your best bet will be live shrimp. Expect however, to be harassed by every pinfish that comes along.

As I said above, I like a combination. This means I put a couple of live baits out behind the boat and then proceed to throw artificials off the bow. The only way to go in the mornings and late afternoons is with top water lures—the top water explosions you'll witness from trout are amazing. Most top water lures are similar and work much the same, although, I feel Rapala's Skitterwalk has something special about it and is my top pick. Once the top water action slows down you'll need to move to sinking lures, whether you're using soft plastics, hard lures, spinner baits, or flies, there should be no problem continuing to catch trout.

Stalking the Reds
While redfish may be caught throughout the sound, the residential docks offer you the best chance of getting into them in good numbers. The ideal way to fish the docks is to use a trolling motor while moving from one dock to the next as you cast around and beneath them. The water depth around these docks will range anywhere from two to fifteen feet, depending on where you are in the sound and the length of the dock.

My favorite tactic for redfish is live bait fishing. Ordinarily you can fish the docks without a weight unless you encounter heavy winds or a strong moving tide. Taking that into consideration, splicing a 24- to 36-inch, twenty to 30-pound fluorocarbon leader to your line seems to work best. A wide variety of hooks can be used and should be determined by the type of bait you're fishing with. My preferred hook is an Eagle Claw #1 straight hook when using live shrimp. As with trout fishing, when using larger baits such as pinfish or mullet, you will need to increase the size of your hook to accommodate the bait.

When it comes to artificial lures the options are basically unlimited. Personally I use soft plastics with a jig head or even a worm hook in some situations. Some of the more popular soft plastics anglers use in the sound include; Saltwater Assassins, Berkley Gulp's, and Fin-S. The newer styles of lures on the market that look like fish and have the hook designed into them have also worked well. These lures are produced by Storm, Tsunami, Calcutta, and Berkley.

Another fun way to fish the docks is with a fly rod. Redfish offer an incredible fight on a fly rod, but be prepared to lose some flies and tippets. Generally, I only use a fly rod when the fish are on the outside or between two docks roaming the flats. Since redfish love to feed on shrimp and crabs, flies tied in these patterns work very well. An assortment of other flies including Clousers will also produce fish. You'll need to use a fairly heavy tippet of the 20- to 30-pound variety to avoid being cut off by the barnacles on the dock pilings.

Bouncing for Flounder
Finding flounder can sometimes be the toughest part of completing a slam in the sound. They are mostly found around structure, which could include the docks where you were just searching for redfish.

Some of my favorite places to look for flounder are around bridges such as Bob Sikes Bridge, which connects Gulf Breeze to Pensacola Beach. You'll also find a handful of rock structures in the sound. The Environmental Protection Agency located on the west end of the sound is surrounded with rocks and relatively deep water. These are the two key elements for finding a reliable flounder spot.

Once you find a good spot, the ideal way to fish it is with a Carolina-rigged live bull minnow. Most places in the sound you'll only need a half-ounce weight to get your bait to the bottom. Along with the sinker, I like to use a 20-pound leader and #1 or #2 straight hook. Remember, when live bait fishing for flounder, it's best to keep your line taught and be ready for a light bump.

Another popular tactic is bouncing grubs on the bottom. The same grubs or soft plastics you use for trout and redfish will work just fine. But keep in mind, it may be necessary to use a larger head to keep the bait on the bottom.

Tides are more important when fishing for flounder than for the other species I've mentioned. Depending on the spot, you'll want the tide to be right and definitely not moving too strongly. With a slow moving tide, the flounder seem to become much more active and begin feeding.

After Completing the Slam
After a successful day of fishing there are plenty of other entertaining things to do which are accessible by water. Some of the area's most popular waterfront restaurants, including Peg Leg Pete's and Flounder's Chowder House, offer boat docking and excellent dining. If you're up for a drink and some live music, you may want to check out Bamboo Willie's located on the Boardwalk at Pensacola Beach.