Lefebre chasing championship

Pennsylvania pro looks to extend tiny lead

PITTSBURGH – His tournament jersey sports pins for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins – both of which have brought home championships. Today, Pennsylvania pro Dave Lefebre sets out with hopes of moving a step closer to his own moment of victory in the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup on Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers.

A limit catch on day one gave the Union City, Pa., angler an 8-pound, 13-ounce total. Lefebre will likely return to his undisclosed location on the Ohio River, where he’ll make precise presentations to specific rocks. His day-one strategy yielded 25 keeper smallmouths.

Grabbing a gridiron analogy, Lefebre described his day-one performance: “I thought it was going to be a running game, and it ended up being a passing game. There were so many fish, it really surprised me.”

Of course, maximizing such a resource is like playing ball-control offense – even if you can go long, keeping it conservative is often the wiser call.

“You always hear people talk about managing fish,” Lebere said, “but this is going to be one of those tournaments where I’m really going to have to make the right call. If this turns out to be four days for me, then I have to be careful.”

That strategy will prove particularly important with Texas pro David Curtis trailing by 1 ounce at 8-12. At 9 ounces off the lead, Arkansas legend Larry Nixon fished within eyesight of Lefebre and caught 8-4. Lefebre said that keeping close tabs on the competition helps him know what he’ll need to catch – and what to leave – on day two.

“We have a formula – we know from day one what the top-10 (cutoff) was,” he said. “I know what I need to do today, and I’ll probably be a little nervous when I do that, so I’ll probably catch just a little more if I can.”

Also mum about his tactics, Curtis said he’s less comfortable chasing brown bass than the green ones he’s mastered back home. Nevertheless, employing some versatile largemouth techniques led him to a productive smallie pattern on day one.

“I just got dialed in to something specific on day one that I didn’t discover or plan for in practice,” he said. “It evolved for me in the morning, so I tried to duplicate it, and it seemed to work in a few areas.”

Early favorite Mike Iaconelli, a New Jersey pro, sits in fifth place with 7-10. He had a variety of crankbaits, jerkbaits and plastics rigged and ready.

“You can take a look at my deck – I have 10 different baits tied on, and I’ll use all 10 today. I’m really just junk-fishing.”

A light to steady rain soaked the morning takeoff, as those with umbrellas lined the waterfront and those without jockeyed for position underneath limited shelter. Zipped up in his rain suit – Steelers flag posted on his console – Lefebre launched with little concern over meteorological conditions.

“This rain won’t affect me – I actually found what I’m fishing because of (this week’s rain),” he said. “I think it will affect a lot of other guys who are fishing little feeder creeks. This rain will muddy up those spots.”

Tommie Goldston of Gardnerville, Nev., holds a 2-pound, 5-ounce lead in the Co-angler Division. That’s a big margin for the back of the boat – especially in this stingy Pittsburgh fishery.

Logistics

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. each day from Steelers Quay, North Shore Riverfront Park located at Art Rooney Drive across from the South Plaza of Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Daily weigh-ins will be held at Mellon Arena at 66 Mario Lemieux Place in Pittsburgh beginning at 5 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center located at 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd. in Pittsburgh. The Family Fun Zone will be open from 2 to 7 p.m. today, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face-to-face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator. Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last. One lucky member of the audience will even win a new special edition Three Rivers Ranger Z20 boat powered by Evinrude during the final 5 p.m. weigh-in Sunday, Aug. 2, courtesy of Froggy Radio. Admission is free, and you must be present to win.

The total purse for the Pittsburgh Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol is $2 million, including $10,000 through 40th place in the Pro Division.

Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol, hosted by VisitPittsburgh, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Nov. 8 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET.

On the web

For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.

In addition to FLW Live, FLWOutdoors.com is offering real-time updates from the water throughout each day of the Forrest Wood Cup. Simply click on the “On the Water Coverage” banner from any of the FLW Outdoors, Bass and FLW Tour home pages.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:16 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 67 degrees

Expected high temperature: 75 degrees

Water temperature: 74-77 degrees

Wind: SE at 2-4 mph

Maximum humidity: 93 percent