# Santa Rosa Beach Visit Hwy 331



## cflong (May 24, 2011)

Headed back down in late July from Arkansas for another visit just like last year. Had a good trip with the family last year, and got into some good fishing both off the beach for a day, then with South Again charters for a day - excellent charter operator. The grass limited our fishing off the beach last year and to make plans should this be the case again, I was curious of how to fish around the 331 bridge going north from Santa Rosa. Could we wade in the area or just fish off the bank? What would be some of the bait or lure choices, both if we waded or just bottom fished?

Also, we caught a few large crabs on the beach at night, are they good to eat and are there ways to catch more, maybe in the bay?

I truly appreciate your help, forums like this get me excited to make the trip. See you in late July. Chuck


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

The crabs are good to eat. I bought 16 pounds of bay crabs last Thursday, boiled them, ate a few, then picked the rest for later use in salads and gumbo. $2 a pound which isn't bad. Worked out to about $12 per dozen. In a restaurant you will pay about $25 to $30 a dozen. 

You can wade fish on each end of the 331 bridge near shore but I rarely see anyone doing that. Guys with mullet castnets fish the west side of the southend of the bridge near the shore. A lot of people fish from the causeway and at the end of each bridge. Plenty of parking everywhere. 

There are a couple of bait shops a few miles north of the bay on 331. You will come to BJ's first on the right and a little further north is Copelands. They usually have live shirmp, bull minnows, etc. Silver/gold spoons. several fo the Gulp shirmp colors,mirror lures, etc are good. You can get the latest bait info at Copelands that is hot for the time.


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## cflong (May 24, 2011)

fishwalton,

Thanks for the tips, ready to get down there and do some fishing and if we catch some that will be great. 
Are those bluegill or coppernose bream you are holding? Do a lot of bream fishing here in AR - they are some dandies.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Bream fishing in the river I fish has been the absolute pitts this summer. Sure would like to get into some of those Arkansas bull bream. 

From what I'm hearing fishing seems to be better further west on the bay as you get closer to salt water and the pass around Destin. Was talking to a friend about shifting our MO to the Niceville and Shalimar area. The main reason I haven't is the added driving distance but I think we need a change from the river.


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## cflong (May 24, 2011)

My dad and I really like to bream fish. Kept 60 the other day at Wappanocca National Refuge, all big enough to fillet. Fish Reelfoot some as well. Cant wait to get down and try some of y'all's fish and we don't care what kind.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*Bull bream*

Catch 60 bull bream down here right now and you would probably be on he front page of the newspaper.


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