FishStock, the one-of-a-kind festival of fishing and fun presented by Sport Fishing magazine, will celebrate a second great year in 2004. New Smyrna Beach on Florida's Atlantic coast hosts FishStock May 28-30, while Panama City Beach on Florida's Gulf coast does the honors Aug. 13-15.

Both sites will showcase what makes FishStock so exciting for everyone from kids just learning to cast to serious anglers chasing the biggest catches. On shore, the FishStock Village is the place to be for youth fishing seminars, boat shows, saltwater fishing clinics and other special exhibits. On the water, anglers can tackle inshore and offshore fishing tournaments.

"There is nothing like FishStock in the marketplace," says Glenn Hughes, publisher of Sport Fishing. "It's a chance to bring together the best in our sport: good fishing and good times. The festival aspect of the event offers a new way to bring in more people and more fun."

To make the events a success, FishStock draws on the best from national sponsors and the local communities. Zebco, for example, will be giving away a free rod and reel to the first 150 participants, ages 6-16, in the Youth Fishing Foundation's daily environmental presentation, which features a saltwater touch tank. The area's top professional guides will lead discussions on saltwater fishing techniques and share their expertise through hands-on instruction. And of course, everyone is invited to dig in for a taste of great regional seafood.

Competitive anglers can vie for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes while pursuing local species. The New Smyrna stop expands on the widely popular Memorial Day Striker Tournament, now in its 28th year. Mercury Marine has created the Backwater Challenge for both locations. Live weigh-ins from the tournaments will wrap up the action-packed days.

Major sponsors of FishStock include Cobia, Century, Mercury, Boston Whaler, Lowrance and Evinrude. Others participating companies are Suzuki, Contender, Sailfish, Carolina Skiff, Trophy; World Class Catamarans, Ranger Boats, C-MAP, Plano, Minnkota, Hook & Tackle, MotorGuide, XMWX Satellite Weather, Ameristitch and many more.