Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to capture the lead in a top-10 field that includes some of the greatest anglers in the world. Salewske now holds a 15-ounce edge over his closest competitor, David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, heading into the final day of competition in the $2 million 2009 Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol — the World Championship of Bass Fishing. If he holds on for the win, Salewske will pocket $1 million.

“There were four of us sharing the same area the first day,” said Salewske, who qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup through the FLW Series’ National Guard Western Division. “I was the last one in the lock … I wanted it that way. I wanted to see where they all started. I’m all about respecting water, but I expect the same. So I got to start where I wanted to start. They all started where they wanted to start. And now I’ve got the whole pond to myself.”

Salewske said he fished the Allegheny River and has only 4 1/2 hours to fish after locking through.

“My favorite bait to throw is a jig,” Salewske said. “My favorite topwater bait to throw is that little Rapala that I’m throwing. Most guys catch fish when the way they like to fish are the way the bass are eating. If you were in my boat today, you would catch every fish I caught today on a drop-shot or a shaky-head or anything … it’s not the bait. It has nothing to do with the bait. It’s finding out what they’re doing.

“They’re river fish, and they’re up there feeding and positioning, and you just have to know where they’re at,” Salewske added. “They turned on today. It was a dead sea this morning, but man, the last hour was dynamite.”

David Curtis caught five fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces to advance to the final day of competition as the No. 2 seed.

“It was a grind like it has been the entire tournament,” said Curtis, who has won more than $604,000 in FLW Outdoors events. “I had some good fortune today. The second stop I made I managed to catch four keepers. I really wasn’t anticipating that at all. That’s what really lifted my spirits and anchored what I weighed in today.”

Curtis said he fished the Ohio River and said he was fishing “rather shallow.” He said he targeted deeper water in practice, but rain and muddy water changed that. Curtis said he is focusing on 10 to 12 spots.

“I ran new water today,” said Curtis. “Stuff I caught fish on before the cutoff. Man, I’m just really running and fishing instinctively.

“The first day of this tournament I got on a real distinctive pattern that I was real excited about,” Curtis added. “When I could find mayflies around the right kind of stuff, that day it worked really good for me. But by day two that pattern went by the wayside.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros are Cody Meyer of Redding, Calif. (five bass, 5-0); Michael Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J. (four bass, 4-12); Team Folgers pro Scott Suggs of Bryant, Ark. (three bass, 4-6); Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La. (four bass, 4-3); Team Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. (one bass, 3-15); Team BP pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn. (one bass, 0-13); Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (one bass, 0-12); and Team Chevy pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark. (two bass, 0-10).

Overall there were 31 bass weighing 36 pounds, 4 ounces caught in the Pro Division Saturday. The catch included three five-bass limits.

Brad Roberts of Nancy, Ky., won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Michi Oba of Tokyo, Japan, in second place with two bass weighing 1-13 worth $10,000.

“After I caught my first fish — about 30 minutes into it — I had the jitters for about 45 minutes,” said Roberts, whose first career win came at the Forrest Wood Cup. “I fished with Mike today, and after fishing with him, I’m an Iaconelli fan.”

Roberts said a Cumberland Pro Casting Jig with a football head was his key bait the last day of competition.

“I’ve always wanted to get a win, but to do it today at the Forrest Wood Cup, it’s just unbelievable,” Roberts said. “Everything just lined up and I fished clean and to know going in that you do have a shot (to win), it’s just absolutely unbelievable.”
   
Roberts opened the tournament in 14th place Thursday with three bass weighing 2-9 while fishing with Team BP pro Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro, N.C. On Friday he jumped into eighth place on the strength of a two-bass catch weighing 3-4 while fishing with Team BP pro Shinichi Fukae of Mineola, Texas. He wrapped up his win while fishing with Iaconelli.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Greg Schultz of Wayzata, Minn. (two bass, 1-11, $9,000); Ron Fabiszak of South Bend, Ind. (one bass, 1-6, $8,000); Blaine Bucy of Wellsburg, W.V. (one bass, 0-12, $7,000); Lynn Baciuska Jr. of Afton, N.Y. (zero bass, 0-0, $6,000); Tommie Goldston of Gardnerville, Nev. (zero bass, 0-0, $5,000); Teddy Bradley of Mishawaka, Ind. (zero bass, 0-0, $4,000); David Lauer of South Bend, Ind. (zero bass, 0-0, $3,500); and Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif. (zero bass, 0-0, $3,000).
   
Overall there were 11 bass weighing 11 pounds, 14 ounces caught in the Co-angler Division Saturday. The catch included one five-bass limit.