PITTSBURGH — Two world championship fishing events will take place on the three rivers next weekend.

The FLW Outdoors' Forrest Wood Cup, featuring a $1 million cash prize, will be held on the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela July 30 through Aug. 2.

"This is the biggest event we have," said Jeff McCoy, public relations director for FLW Outdoors. "It's the world championship of bass fishing. It's the biggest purse for any bass fishing tournament in the world."

The Forrest Wood Cup is a professional event for which 154 pro and co-anglers have qualified.

The Bass Federation's 2009 National Guard Junior World Championship will be held on the Allegheny River in Kittanning July 31 and Aug. 1.

Held in conjunction with the Forrest Wood Cup, the junior world championship pairs an angler between the ages of 11 to 14 and one between 15 to 18 from each of 41 states.

"There will be one junior angler from each age division in a boat with a veteran angler from the area," McCoy explained. "The two junior anglers will share control of the boat for the day."

The full field of anglers will compete July 31. Only the top angler in each age bracket from each of The Bass Federation's six geographic divisions will advance to compete Aug. 1. The winners will be determined by the heaviest catch from that day.

Daily weigh-ins will be held at Kittanning Riverfront Park.

The top five finishers in each age group category receive scholarship packages ranging from $5,000 down to $1,500, along with sponsor merchandise packages.

The 2005 Bassmaster Classic was held on Pittsburgh's rivers, but pro Dave Lefebre of Union City anticipates the overall catch will be better in the Forrest Wood Cup event.

"It's definitely going to be better," he said in a released statement. "It's up and down from one year to the next. It depends on the flooding and the snow and that stuff.

"That (2005) was just an off year. It will definitely be leaps and bounds better than what we saw there."

Daniel Gray of Butler is a rookie on the FLW Outdoor Tour this season, but he hasn't qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup competition.

Like the junior event, only the top anglers will get through to the final portion of the tournament.

"There will be a pro and co-angler in each of 77 boats," McCoy said. "The pro decides where the boat goes, the co-angler is along for the ride. The co-anglers will actually be having their own tournament while the pros are having theirs.

"After the first two days, the 10 pros who have caught the most weight (five-fish limit) in fish return to the water Saturday and Sunday to compete for the championship."

The FLW Outdoors Tour is based on a points system from six qualifying events. The top 40 pros and co-anglers in Tour points qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup field.

Also qualifying are the top 30 pros and co-anglers from the 2008 FLW Series, the top five pros and co-anglers from the 2008 Stren Series divisions, the 2009 BFL All-American champion and the 2009 Bass Federation national champion.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. each day from the North Shore Riverfront Park at Art Rooney Drive. Daily weigh-ins will be held at Mellon Arena beginning at 5 p.m.

Total purse for the Forrest Wood Cup is $2 million.

FLW Outdoors also is hosting a free family fun zone and outdoor show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center from 2 to 7 p.m. July 30 and 31, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 1 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 2.