Captain Favorite's Weekend Fishing Forecast: July 24, 2014

BRADENTON –  Spiny lobster season will begin with a two day recreational event July 30-31, followed by the commercial/recreation season which runs Aug. 6 through March 31. A recreational fishing workshop on Gulf red snapper will be held in St. Petersburg on August 11. Find out how you can chime in! A cold front, (well, that's what they're calling it), will approach the area later this weekend. 

Melt the butter; spiny lobster seasons start soon

• The 2014 spiny lobster season opens with the two-day recreational sport season July 30 and 31, followed by the regular commercial and recreational lobster season, which starts Aug. 6 and runs through March 31.
• Planning on catching some of these tasty crustaceans? Here is what you need to know before you go.
• No one wants a small lobster for dinner. Make sure you check the size. Measuring devices are required, and lobsters must be measured while they are in the water. If the carapace length is not larger than 3 inches,

Gulf red snapper recreational fishing workshops start this month

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has scheduled a series of Gulf of Mexico red snapper workshops for recreational stakeholders beginning in late July to discuss state and federal management of recreational red snapper. The workshops will also explore potential future approaches to managing this fishery in an effort to ensure optimal access for Florida's resident and visiting anglers.
• Anglers who would like to share their ideas and help improve management are encouraged to attend the meeting on Aug. 11 in St. Petersburg at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 3rd-floor conference room, 100 Eighth Ave. SE.The meeting will run from 6:30-8 p.m.

Fishing Forecast

Remnant sea breeze circulation this evening will collapse overnight leaving light and variable winds. The surface ridge of high pressure will meander north and south through the weekend but will generally remain across central or south-central Florida. A late season cold front will be dropping into the deep south on Monday forcing the ridge axis to move southward toward the Florida Straits on Monday. Winds will remain light with afternoon sea breezes near the coast each day. Seas should be 2 feet or less.

Thursday

Southwest winds around 5 knots increasing to around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thursday night

will bring southwest winds around 10 knots becoming light and variable after midnight. Bay and inland waters becoming smooth. A slight chance of thunderstorms.

2014/07/24 Thu 01:34 AM 1.49 H

2014/07/24 Thu 05:09 AM 1.31 L

2014/07/24 Thu 11:18 AM 2.47 H

2014/07/24 Thu 07:32 PM 0.04 L

Friday

Southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of thunderstorms. Friday night will bring west winds around 10 knots becoming southwest around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms.

2014/07/25 Fri 02:04 AM 1.51 H

2014/07/25 Fri 05:57 AM 1.27 L

2014/07/25 Fri 11:58 AM 2.49 H

2014/07/25 Fri 08:05 PM 0.05 L

Saturday

Southwest winds around 5 knots becoming west in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. A chance of thunderstorms. Saturday night will bring west winds around 5 knots becoming southwest after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. A slight chance of thunderstorms.

2014/07/26 Sat 02:27 AM 1.53 H

2014/07/26 Sat 06:40 AM 1.22 L

2014/07/26 Sat 12:35 PM 2.48 H

2014/07/26 Sat 08:35 PM 0.09 L

Sunday

Southwest winds around 5 knots becoming west around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of thunderstorms. Sunday night will bring west winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms.

2014/07/27 Sun 02:44 AM 1.56 H

2014/07/27 Sun 07:21 AM 1.15 L

2014/07/27 Sun 01:10 PM 2.46 H

2014/07/27 Sun 09:02 PM 0.15 L