Last-minute heroics salvage tourney for Lefebre … Heading into the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup, Dave Lefebre had plenty of pressure on his shoulders. After all, he was the hometown favorite, he had the stands packed with friends and family, and there was the little issue of fishing with a $1 million first-place award on the line. But while everything seemed to go smoothly over the first two days of competition, the rain and changing conditions really threw a monkey wrench into Lefebre’s efforts. Nearing the end of day three, Lefebre had exactly zero fish in the boat. “While all the other guys were locking back through, I decided to stay and fish a little longer because I really had nothing to lose.” As fate would have it, Lefebre hooked into a 3-pound, 15-ounce bass with time winding down for his only catch of the day. While it wasn’t how he’d imagined the tournament unfolding, at least Lefebre had a fighting chance in the finals as he was now only 2 pounds, 7 ounces off the lead. However, by the time Sunday’s finals rolled around, Lefebre once again found himself struggling mightily. “I had nothing again late in the day, and for the second time in a row, I stayed and fished while all of the other guys locked back through.” This time, however, Lefebre discovered that he was playing with fire. After landing yet another last-minute catch (ironically caught while sitting down in his boat being interviewed by Versus camera crews), he realized he had to get back to weigh-in in a hurry. “I knew I had to get back to Pittsburgh by 4:10 p.m., but when I went to the lock, they waved me off. There was barge traffic and another paddle-wheel boat already in the lock, and I didn’t have priority this time.” Whether it was fate, sheer determination or the overwhelming graciousness of the lockmaster, Lefebre managed to squeeze his Ranger boat into the lock. “I think I probably broke every state regulation possible. But the lockmaster went the extra mile for me. He was awesome.” In the end, Lefebre got back to weigh-in with “20 seconds left to spare.” As a result, Lefebre salvaged an eighth-place finish. “You know, I’m disappointed. But it’s been a great week overall. In a lot of ways, I lived the dream. I had people out on the water cheering me on all week. Sure, I would have like to have pulled it off. But it just didn’t work out. In a lot of ways, my fans got to live the downside of tournament bass fishing right there with me.”