Yellow Fever wins Boomers catfish tournament

Neither cold, nor wind, nor rain nor gloom of night could prevent the dedicated catfish anglers from participating in the 14th annual Boomers catfish tournament over the weekend.

Despite a frigid weigh-in day with temperatures in the low 40s and a hearty Nor’Easter gusting at over 30 miles an hour, 149 Texas men and women braved the elements to raise money for the Alvis Malatek scholarship fund.

When the final fish were weighed, the team of Yellow Fever captured first prize with a total of 308 pounds of fish.

Gandre Bottom Boys were runners-up with 304 pounds of fish, followed by They All Got Away, Master Baiters, Bill’s Crew, Linda’s Hookers, River Rats and Boomers.

The biggest fish of the day was a 41-pound yellow brought in by the team of Linda’s Hookers.

“I’m proud of everyone who participated,” said Pete Wilkerson, the co-owner of Boomers. “Man, it was a cold one out there and that cut down on the size of the crowd at the weigh-in, but it was great to see all the teams get through that miserable weather.”

His wife LeeAnn agreed.

“We even had some people come down from Oklahoma to see the weigh-in this year,” LeeAnn said. “His name is Brady Way, and he is a game warden for the state of Oklahoma. He thought it was pretty amazing.

“It sure was nasty out there on Saturday, but everyone said they had a good time and they’re looking forward to the 15th annual catfish tournament. Pete and I are grateful to all of the participants who continue to support this year after year.”

Money raised from the tournament go towards proving funds for the Alvis Malatek Scholarship fund. Alvis was a lifelong friend of both LeeAnn and Pete, but lost his battle with cancer a number of years ago.

Every year two $1500 scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors at Gonzales High School. The winners are chosen by the captains of the participating fish teams who want to read the high school applicant’s essays.

The scholarship winners from last year — Kolby Kifer and Jaren Blundell — both participated in this year’s tournament.