JUST KID STUFF; STATISTICS SHOW FISHING GIVES KIDS A POSITIVE AND RECREATIONAL OUTLET.

Byline: BRETT PAULY Angling

The black-and-white magazine ad set against a graffiti-plastered brick wall depicts a kid in sunglasses and greasy hair donning a guitar, a leather jacket and a scowl.

The banner above the photo screams in erratic type, ``Take this kid fishing before it's too late.''

It's all in jest, of course, but the point isn't altogether lost in folly: At least some anecdotal evidence suggests that kids who learn to fish stay out of trouble as adults. National polls indicate that the earlier people take up fishing, the more active in the sport they become. Some 85 percent of freshwater anglers began fishing before they were 13.

In other words, the younger kids take up fishing, the more likely they will reach for a rod and reel than a Nintendo joystick, the more frequently they will to take to a lake than to the mall.

``I would be dead or in jail if it wasn't for fishing,'' said Gene Behrman, 64, of Marina del Rey, a volunteer for the Department of Fish and Game's Fishing in the City program. That's what he tells the young anglers he comes in contact with through the program, which has introduced fishing to more than 50,000 children and family members in Los Angeles and Orange counties since its inception in California in 1993.

Surrounded by anxious would-be anglers at urban lakes, Behrman regales his pupils with tales of his mischievous teen-age days and how two buddies asked him to be the getaway driver in a heist. Behrman declined because he had to be at his job as a deckhand at 2 in the morning.

His friends stole thousands of dollars worth of guns but got caught and served time; Behrman got scared straight.

Convincing youngsters of the joys of angling - giving something back to the sport that netted him an early career . . . and a way to keep his nose clean - is his mission nowadays.

``I get teary-eyed over it,'' Behrman said. ``If I can save one kid, that's all it takes.''

Countless parents turn their progeny on to angling for the same reasons.

``I think it leads them in the right direction of having a good outlook on life, being a good sportsman and keeping them out of trouble on the streets,'' said Joe Evans of Palmdale.

Evans brought his 7-year-old son, Robert, to Lancaster's Apollo Park on Saturday for the 26th annual Youth Fishing Derby (see results in Outpost). Robert stood shyly nearby, holding a creel with three trout waiting to be weighed on the derby's scale.

Robert thinks he'll be fishing his entire life.

``I think it's fun, and it's kind of challenging if you get a big one,'' he said.

Along neighboring banks, parents echoed the sentiments of Robert's father.

``It's one way for them to stay out of trouble,''said Luis Ventura Sr. of Lancaster, whose 12-year-old namesake had three trout on a stringer.

``One thing about fishing is that you can do it all times of the day or the night, instead of, you know, hanging out,'' said Alan Brooks of Lancaster, whose 13-year-old daughter, Amber Sargent of Quartz Hill, landed her first fish earlier in the day.

``It was exciting. I had fun,'' Amber said. ``But it was scary, because I didn't want to touch it. It was all slimy.''

She let Dad remove the hook.

Even the kids themselves realize fishing's potential.

``It's cool,'' said Peter Bauer, 13, of Lancaster, who hooked his first prize - a Northern California catfish - at age 4 and was enjoying his third youth tournament at Apollo Park. ``It's something to do instead of going out and hanging around in the streets and meeting bad people.''

Juvenile delinquents have used fishing to help rehabilitate themselves, even, on occasion, parlaying a single day on the water offered up for good behavior during their time in probation camp into a career as a deckhand.

The point is, fishing changes lives . . . and parents, fish and game agencies and the fishing industry as a whole have come to recognize it, targeting their efforts toward youth. The sport is composed of many attractive ingredients that make it possible to get kids involved.

It tends to be an affordable activity. For less than $15, parents can purchase a child a simple rod and reel and basic tackle. A can of corn kernels or worms from the backyard can serve as bait.

It's close to home - often a bike or bus ride away. A quick call to a tackle shop or the DFG should put would-be anglers on to fish.

It's family-oriented. All adults need to teach a youngster is a little time.

It promotes conservation and outdoors ethics. Studies have shown that kids who fish, hunt and bird-watch know more about the environment and have a deeper grasp of ecology than children who don't participate in the activities.

And those who pick up fishing early on frequently hold on to the activity for the rest of their days. (Only 8 percent of today's freshwater anglers took up the recreation as adults, according to a national survey.)

``When kids learn to fish early in life, those kids tend to be the sort of people who fish their entire life,'' said Mike Horak, spokesman for the American Sportfishing Association, an industry trade group in Alexandria, Va.

Naturally, that serves the $37.8 billion angling industry well because these kids grow up to make more purchases, Horak said.

And that's why the ASA so fervently promotes program likes National Fishing Week (May 30-June 7), the nationwide school project ``Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs'' and the Future Fisherman Foundation.

But there's more to introducing kids to fishing, Horak said.

``It builds concerned and interested constituents that we need to advocate for healthy aquatic resources,'' he said. ``We depend on strong natural resources to survive.''

``Furthermore, fishing is a healthy activity that allows people of all generations to spend time together,'' Horak added. ``And when you can spend time with a parent, a sibling or peers, you are not spending that time hanging around the streets or in the mall parking lot. What we've found is that when you teach kids about fishing and the environment, those kids develop interests and hobbies that truly keep them out of trouble.''

Welcoming kids into the fishing fraternity - it's why the International Game Fish Association last year instituted angling-record categories for children.

It's why Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, better known to tournament anglers as B.A.S.S., created the national CastingKids competition seven years ago.

And why so many fishing clubs funnel so much of their funds to annual kids fishing trips. And why fishing magazines dedicate editorial space to children's fishing features and photos of youngsters posing with their finned trophies.

And why all sorts of groups stage kids fishing derbies. And it's why the DFG promotes Fishing in the City and Trout in the Classroom, an educational project in trout are raised from eggs at school and released as fry into rivers.

``It teaches kids patience,'' said Dody Garcia, co-coordinator of Lancaster's Youth Fishing Derby. ``It teaches them an appreciation of nature. It teaches them about camaraderie amongst friends. And it teaches them some family values.''

Perhaps most of all, it teaches kids to stay young . . . for they are fishing's future.

Where to take the kids

There are numerous options to introduce children to fishing, from nearby lakes and trout ponds to a range of ocean landings. Several events geared to youngsters are scheduled throughout the year. Anglers 15 and younger do not need a fishing license; parents do.

Castaic Lagoon (27514 W. Lake Hughes Road in Castaic) is among the closer stocked lakes in the region, offering planted trout as well as a world-famous population of largemouth. Above it, at Castaic Lake, striped bass fin along with trout and largemouths. Information: [phone] or [phone].

While Lake Balboa at 630 Balboa Blvd. in Encino is not planted by the Department of Fish and Game, plenty of feisty tilapia swim there. Information: [phone].

A list of regional waters stocked with trout and catfish is available by calling [phone].

Fish-for-a-fee trout ponds are alternatives for children. Admission, including all tackle and bait, is $3 at Troutdale, 2468 Troutdale Drive in Agoura Hills. To bring catches home, it's 95 cents for fish 7 to 8 inches long and up to $8.95 for trout 15 inches or longer. Information: [phone].

The Department of Fish and Game's Fishing in the City program has three events slated in the next month. Fish are stocked and loaner gear and free bait are available:

May 23, 6 a.m. to noon, Echo Park Lake, 1632 Bellview Ave., Los Angeles; [phone].

May 30, 8 a.m. to noon, Cerritos Park Lake, 19700 S. Bloomfield Ave., Cerritos; [phone].

June 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Santa Fe Dam, 15501 E. Arrow Highway, Irwindale; [phone].

For information on other Fishing in the City programs, call [phone]. The brochure ``Where the Department of Fish and Game Stocks Trout and Catfish in Southern California'' is available by leaving a message at the above number or writing to: Department of Fish and Game, Fishing in the City, 330 Golden Shore, Suite 50, Long Beach, Calif. 90802.

Landings from San Diego to San Simeon offer a range of party boats upon which to catch everything from mackerel to calico bass to yellowtail. Check listings under ``Fishing Parties'' in a business-telephone directory.

--- Brett Pauly

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) Brent Poulin, 6, of Atascadero casts out into the Upper Owens River south of Benton Crossing on the morning of the Eastern Sierra trout opener.

(2--Color) Ian Earley, 5, fished the Eastern Sierra trout season opener at Crowley Lake with his family from Simi Valley.

John McCoy/Daily News

(3--4--Color) Fishing magazines run ads and features to encourage parents to take kids angling.

BOX: Where to take the kids (see text)