Captain Favorite's Weekend Fishing Forecast: July 17, 2014

BRADENTON –  High pressure ridging across the Florida Keys and a frontal boundary over northern Florida will continue to produce moderate west and southwest winds and choppy seas across the coastal zones.. Catch and release snook in passes and around docks and bridges close to passes. You should find reds and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars in Sarasota Bay or fish deep grass flats for trout, blues and more.

Gulf recreational red snapper season closes July 15 in state waters

• The recreational red snapper season in Gulf state waters closes July 15, with the last day of harvest being July 14. Florida state waters in the Gulf are from shore to 9 nautical miles.
• To learn more about recreational red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Gulf Snapper.”
• Several workshops on Gulf of Mexico recreational red snapper are planned for late July. The public is invited to discuss state and federal management of recreational red snapper and to explore future approaches for managing this fishery. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Rulemaking” and “Workshops” to learn more.

FWC moves to simplify saltwater rules in 3 counties

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a measure at its June 18 meeting in Fort Myers that will remove several outdated or redundant localized regulations in Gilchrist, Indian River and Manatee counties. These changes will go into effect as soon as possible.
• The FWC has been working to streamline and clarify saltwater fishing rules since 2009 as part of a marine fisheries rule clean-up process. This includes reviewing existing localized rules known as Special Acts of Local Application and working with county governments to remove them if warranted. Many Special Acts were put in place before the Marine Fisheries Commission, one of the FWC’s predecessor agencies, was created, and are now no longer necessary due to more current, statewide fishing management.
• The governments from all three counties have been working with the FWC on these changes. The FWC will be working with other counties in the future to help streamline and reduce regulations throughout the state, increasing transparency and consistency while standardizing FWC saltwater fishing management and making it easier for fishermen to access and participate in Florida fishing. The repeal of the Special Acts for these three counties is not expected to have any negative effects on Florida’s fisheries.
• In Manatee County, seven Special Acts are slated to be removed, including ones that limit the types of gear that can be used within the waters of the county, set aggregate bag limits for saltwater fish on the Manatee River, and authorize Manatee County to regulate the harvest of finfish within the county. Current statewide regulations now address the use of gear and give the FWC the authority to regulate the harvest of saltwater fish. Repealing these conflicting and redundant rules will help clarify and simplify regulations in Manatee County.
• To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and “Commission Meetings.”

Fishing Forecast

High pressure ridging across the Florida Keys and a frontal boundary over northern Florida will continue to produce moderate west and southwest winds and choppy seas across the coastal zones. These conditions will continue through this evening when the frontal boundary backs into Georgia and diminishes. Improving conditions will start Friday and continue into the weekend with decreasing winds and seas across the area.

Thursday

West winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Numerous showers in the morning. Scattered thunderstorms. Thursday night wlll bring west winds around 10 knots diminishing to around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms.

2014/07/17 Thu 05:28 AM 1.87 H

2014/07/17 Thu 11:54 AM 0.82 L

2014/07/17 Thu 05:22 PM 1.86 H

Friday

Northwest winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Isolated thunderstorms. Friday night will bring north winds around 5 knots then becoming northeast after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth.

2014/07/18 Fri 12:12 AM 0.6 L

2014/07/18 Fri 06:09 AM 2.01 H

2014/07/18 Fri 01:19 PM 0.71 L

2014/07/18 Fri 06:47 PM 1.58 H

Saturday

North winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Saturday night will bring northeast winds around 5 knots then becoming east after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth.

2014/07/19 Sat 12:50 AM 0.83 L

2014/07/19 Sat 06:56 AM 2.14 H

2014/07/19 Sat 02:46 PM 0.57 L

2014/07/19 Sat 08:35 PM 1.4 H

Sunday

East winds around 5 knots then becoming north in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms. Sunday night will bring northeast winds around 5 knots then becoming southeast after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.

2014/07/20 Sun 01:32 AM 1.02 L

2014/07/20 Sun 07:49 AM 2.24 H

2014/07/20 Sun 04:07 PM 0.4 L

2014/07/20 Sun 10:26 PM 1.36 H