Fishy Impressions

Renee Fulghum smiles beside one of her acrylic snook paintings.

Renee Fulghum set up a small booth at last weekend's 25th annual Sam Crosthwait Memorial Tournament at the Bradenton Yacht Club, showcasing her fish acrylics on rice paper.

The paintings are original gyotaku, meaning she paints the fish, then makes an impression on rice paper.

If an angler wants an impression of their fish, they simply can put the fish on ice and call Fulghum at 941-721-4714 or e-mail fulghums4@verizon.net.

Fulghum may be able to pick the fish up if it's within a reasonable distance.

Cost is typically $50 to $200, depending on the size of the fish.

Fulghum returns to Crosthwait

Sam Crosthwait Memorial Tournament chairman Rodney O'Quinn, left,

poses with tournament originator David Fulghum

Twenty-five years ago, David Fulghum had the idea to start a local tournament geared toward families.

It had been a long time since Fulghum had attended a Crosthwait tournament, but committee members finally talked Fulghum into coming out.

His presence was appreciated. From his wheelchair, Fulghum had the opportunity to scan the audience, the entire operation, and witness what the tournament has grown to.

Fulghum fell in love with fishing when he and Bradenton Yacht Club members traveled to the Keys to fish. To this day, Fulghum's favorite fish to catch is dolphin (Mahi-Mahi).

Crosthwait gallery takes in grouper

Team SeaVee Che landed this 151-pound Warsaw grouper

The first time Sam Crosthwait Memorial Tournament committee members attempted to stick this hefty Warsaw grouper on the hook to determine its weight, the giant steel hook bent, and the grouper flopped to the stage floor.

The gallery of spectators shown above exploded into applause. Maybe part of that appreciation was tied to the fact that this 10-inch hook bent, yet Brian Beukema of Team SeaVee Che managed to crank the grouper 300 feet up, in 3- to 4-foot seas, with heavy fishing tackle and a dead pinfish.

In any event, Crosthwait members rigged-up a rope through the grouper's gill and out its mouth and hoisted it in the air.

The reaction was that as above: Cameras snapping pictures, hands clapping high in the air, mouths agape, eyes fixed on a monster.

That's one of the things the Crosthwait is about. Every year, it seems, at least one offshore boat manages to bring back a person-sized fish.

Manatee plumes

Manatees caused these circles on the surface of the upper Manatee River

Mark Stukey from Rays Canoe Hideaway often gets kayakers/canoers who will come back from a day of paddling and swear they saw gators roaming underwater.

"Are there circles on the top of the water?" he asks.

They usually say, 'Yes."

"Those are manatees," Stukey tells them.

With their propeller-like tails, Manatees push water up and down as they move, creating plumes on the surface.

The above pair of manatees were roaming together through the upper Manatee River. They ended up stopping to bask in warm, shallow water. This is why there is a MANATEE ZONE sign in the same area.

The endangered manatees hung out all afternoon.

Female team wins best dressed

Team Fishin' Dirty

At the first day of the Bradenton Yacht Club-sponsored Sam Crosthwait Memorial Tournament, "Team Fishin' Dirty" won the Best Dressed Crew award.

The tournament's only all-female team of Capt. Lauren Blenker, Becky Tyson, Allison Cabanillas, Mallery Langford, Kerin Mooney and Emilee Keener won with the most crowd applause. They wore Columnia teal fishing shirts and the feature on their heads that helped them win the tournament. "Who else wears pink-and-white, zebra-striped bandannas?" Mooney said.

The team fished inshore last year and will again today when a Bimini start sends off the inshore division.

Offshore boats left about 8 p.m. Friday after the captain's meeting.

The weigh-in is scheduled to begin Sunday at 7 a.m. The awards presentation at the BYC is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.