NOTEBOOK: PREPPING FOR SATURDAY'S PHEASANT OPENER BIG NUMBERS EXPECTED.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Reports

Saturday's pheasant opener should get more attention from Southern California hunters this year thanks to good production of the big birds in Imperial County, according to Department of Fish and Game staff.

The DFG attributes the sudden rise in pheasant populations to a five-year shift in agriculture-industry preference - from primarily lettuce, melon and alfalfa crops to asparagus and sudden grass - enhancing considerably both cover availability and quality for birds. The new crops expand habitat in which pheasants conceal themselves from predators.

Pheasants can be found throughout the valley south of the Salton Sea, with the largest concentrations in fields south, west and east of El Centro.

For best results, it is suggested hunters scout alfalfa and other crop fields adjacent to asparagus and sudden grass crops.

Locations posted ``no hunting'' or ``no trespassing,'' and fenced property require written landowner permission before they can be hunted. Fenced lands that contain livestock are almost always closed to hunters.

On hunt-day morning, it is advised that hunters avoid driving about, creating a stir before 8 a.m., the starting time of legal hunting.

--Casting Club speaker set: Darrel Martin, a literature and philosophy professor at Washington State University who also has taught fishing classes at the junior college level, will discuss fly-tying techniques at the November meeting of the Pasadena Casting Club.

The meeting, scheduled for today at 7:30 p.m., features a presentation by Martin that includes his books, tool designs and photography.

The Pasadena Casting Club meets at the San Marino Masonic Lodge, 3130 Huntington Drive. Information, call Vic Silberman at [phone].

--Pheasants Forever fund-raiser: Pheasants Forever will host a fund- raiser barbecue Friday at 5 p.m., the eve of this year's pheasant opener in Imperial County. The event will be at Rio Bend RV Park at Interstate 8 and Drew Road in El Centro.

Admission is $10 per person for the steak-and-chicken barbecue buffet. There will be a raffle for a Browning BPS 12-gauge shotgun and other items. The gun is a Fabarm Classic Lion Grade 12-gauge.

Information, call [phone].

--Trout opener: Irvine Lake will stock 20,000 pounds of Mount Lassen trout in anticipation of Friday's trout opener.

The lake will open with a derby at 6 a.m., with the anglers catching the two largest fish receiving $500 apiece. They must have Berkley and Shimano gear in their possession when weighing in the trout.