If you have a hankering for watching the pro anglers in the FLW Outdoors Forrest Wood Cup this weekend, you may not know what to do while waiting for the big weigh-in.

Well, the FLW has two big days planned for you at its FLW Outdoors Expo event.

The fishing tournament begins today and ends Sunday, with launches in the morning at Laurel Park in Gainesville and weigh-ins in the afternoon at the Gwinnett Arena.

"There will be lots of demonstrations and many courses and tips given by fishermen that people can take part in, question and answer with pros, seminars," said Chad Gay, public relations manager for FLW Outdoors. "Basically there’s tons of stuff to do out there and it’s absolutely free, so you don’t have to blow a wad of cash for the family to come down and experience.

"It is inside, that’s the second best thing."

Vendors will provide free gifts, food and some items for purchase at the Expo.

"There will be things there for kids, like inflatibles," Gay said. "There will be Ranger boat simulators, which you can get into those and you have this screen in front of you and it’s like ... well it’s a simulator, it rocks around and lets you feel what it’s like to zoom across the water in a Ranger boat.

"We should have a National Guard rock climbing wall and the obstacle course that the National Guard provides. It’s like monkey bars on steroids."

The FLW Outdoors Forrest Wood Cup bass tournament lures top pro fishermen from around the country. The top prize is $500,000, with a $100,000 bonus for some anglers.

"If they drive a Ranger boat — that’s what we call the Ranger contingency — if they qualify for that they get an extra $100,000," Gay said.

There are three local pro fishermen to keep an eye out for: Tom Mann Jr. from Buford and Jason Meninger and Luke Clausen, both from Gainesville.

Gay said that if you want to see some of the pros in action, you’re going to have to get up early Saturday.

"The launch on the final day is basically just six boats," he said. "There really isn’t much for the public to see out there, and there will only be six boats coming out. If people want to come out there and see a bigger takeoff, Saturday is going to be a better day for that."

Saturday will feature 30 boats in the takeoff ceremony at 6:30 a.m. at Laurel Park.

Sunday will be a day the competitive fishing fans won’t want to miss at the Gwinnett Arena. Guests will have a chance to win a Ranger boat with all the trimmings.

"The very last day of the weigh-in we are going to give away a boat. And it’s not a cheap boat — this is a fully-rigged, just like the pros drive, a $50,000 boat," Gay said. "It will be the very last thing we do right after the final weigh-in and you must be present to win."