Captain Favorite's Weekend Fishing Forecast: July 31, 2014

BRADENTON –  Spiny lobster season began 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 will bring scattered thunderstorms and inland chop to the area over the 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

Light winds and slight seas will continue through early next week. A surface trough...the remnants of the frontal boundary that moved through the waters yesterday...will lift back to the north later today through Friday. The trough will dissipate over the weekend as a ridge of high pressure builds westward across the waters from the Atlantic.

Thursday

Northwest winds around 5 knots becoming west around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Thursday night will bring northwest winds around 5 knots becoming northeast after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth.

2014/07/31 Thu 04:00 AM 1.91 H

2014/07/31 Thu 10:18 AM 0.85 L

2014/07/31 Thu 03:47 PM 2.06 H

2014/07/31 Thu 10:49 PM 0.56 L

Friday

North winds around 5 knots becoming west around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning...then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Friday night will bring north winds around 10 knots becoming east around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms in the evening.

2014/08/01 Fri 04:30 AM 2.01 H

2014/08/01 Fri 11:14 AM 0.8 L

2014/08/01 Fri 04:37 PM 1.88 H

2014/08/01 Fri 11:21 PM 0.71 L

Saturday

Southeast winds around 5 knots becoming northwest in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. Numerous thunderstorms in the afternoon. Saturday night will bring northeast winds around 5 knots becoming southeast around 10 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of thunderstorms in the evening. A slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight.

2014/08/02 Sat 05:06 AM 2.11 H

2014/08/02 Sat 12:18 PM 0.74 L

2014/08/02 Sat 05:39 PM 1.68 H

2014/08/02 Sat 11:55 PM 0.87 L

Sunday

Southeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of thunderstorms in the morning...then thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Sunday night will bring southeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of thunderstorms in the evening...then a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight.

2014/08/03 Sun 05:48 AM 2.2 H

2014/08/03 Sun 01:33 PM 0.66 L

2014/08/03 Sun 07:01 PM 1.51 H