OUTDOORS FOLK HAVE THEIR DAY; VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES SET TO CELEBRATE HUNTING AND FISHING.

Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Staff Writer

Each year hunters and anglers across the country circle a date on the calendar they consider to be a holiday just for them.

It's set aside to encourage participation in outdoors activities and remind people what conservation is all about and who is responsible for it.

National Hunting and Fishing Day, designated in 1972 by then-president Richard Nixon, rolls around Saturday. Not coincidentally, Saturday is also the state Department of Fish and Game's biannual Free Fishing Day, in which angling is allowed without the usual requirement of possessing a fishing license. Several events are slated in the Los Angeles area.

``We would like the American people to understand the role that sportsmen and women play in conservation,'' said Chris Chaffin, national director of NHF Day, which is sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. ``On the average, for every tax dollar put into wildlife management, nine dollars are put in by hunters and anglers.'' Much of those revenues are generated via the purchase of hunting tags and fishing licenses.

``A lot of the (NHF Day) activities are there to encourage people to get out and try their hand at something new and get a feel for the very rich parts of our tradition, heritage and values associated with the outdoors.''

For just the second time since its inception, a major NHF Day function will be staged in California. The public is invited for the 8 a.m. start of the Upland Game Classic shooting event at the North Hollywood Sportsman's Club range, 30769 San Francisquito Canyon Road in Saugus.

Sponsored in conjunction with the Santa Clarita chapter of Quail Unlimited, the classic will consist of 25 skeet targets, 50 rounds of doubles trap (shooting at two targets simultaneously) and 25 rounds of wobble trap (in which targets are thrown at varied heights) per participant. The cost is $25 and includes parking, lunch and beverages.

No gun?

No worries; volunteers will provide shotguns and instruction. (Ammo is not included, so bring your own.) Information: [phone].

The event is one of many planned for the future to attract new shooters, according to Carl Howard Jr., president of the 59-year-old North Hollywood Sportsman's Club.

``I see our hunting numbers decrease each year in California. The figures are stunning,'' he said. ``What is going to happen? Will my grandchildren get to hunt?

``Hopefully projects like these will filter down and equate to more shooters.''

Chaffin echoed the sentiment.

``We feel, and have been substantiated by a recent national survey, that hunting and shooting have a legitimate place and is acceptable to the majority of American people,'' he said.

On the fishing front, the DFG has two area programs slated for its Free Fishing Day, which was inaugurated nine years ago by then-governor George Deukmejian to bolster recreational fishing by providing the uninitiated an economical opportunity to try the sport without first having to buy a license.

Children and novice adult anglers alike can enjoy a fish ecology trek, free loaner gear and bait and a coloring contest from 8 a.m. to noon at Lincoln Park Lake, 3501 Valley Blvd. in Los Angeles. Some 375 1-pound channel catfish will be stocked at the 4.8-surface-acre lake. Information: [phone].

Meanwhile, a free fishing derby and ``Fishing Pathways'' clinic, in which participants learn the basics of fish life and how to fish ethically and with confidence, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon at Legg Lakes in the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, 823 Lexington-Gallatin Road in South El Monte. More than 1,500 pounds of catfish will be planted in the park's three connected waters that total 86 surface areas. Derby trophies for four age categories will be awarded for the largest fish. Information: [phone].

The Los Angeles area is brimming with saltwater and sweetwater fishing opportunities. (See lists above.)

While angling licenses are not required Saturday, all other fishing laws apply. For a recorded list of locales stocked with trout and catfish, call the DFG Fish Plant Line, [phone].

LANDINGS

Considering hitting the brine Saturday for Free Fishing Day? Following are area landings:

Marina del Rey Sportfishing:

Dock 52, Fiji Way, Marina del Rey; [phone].

In-Seine Sportfishing:

Dock 52, Fiji Way, Marina del Rey; [phone].

Redondo Sportfishing:

233 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach; [phone].

Skipper's 22nd Street Landing:

141 W. 22nd St., San Pedro; [phone].

L.A. Harbor Sportfishing:

1150 Nagoya Way, San Pedro; [phone].

Belmont Pier Sportfishing:

Ocean and Terminal, Long Beach; [phone].

Long Beach Sportfishing:

555 Pico Ave., Long Beach; [phone].

Seal Beach Sportfishing:

900-B Ocean Ave., Seal Beach; [phone].

Port Hueneme Sportfishing:

105 E. Port Hueneme Way, Port Hueneme; [phone].

Cisco's Sportfishing:

4151 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard; [phone].

Gold Coast Sportfishing:

3600 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard; [phone].

Harbor Village Sportfishing:

1591 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura; [phone].

Capt. Hook's Sportfishing:

1500 Anchors Way, Ventura; [phone].

Ventura Sportfishing:

1516 Anchors Way, Ventura; [phone].

Sea Landing:

301 W. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara; [phone].

Hornet Sportfishing:

125 Harbor Way, Suite 4, Santa Barbara; [phone].

LAKES

Listed are lakes in Los Angeles and Ventura counties anglers can visit for Saturday's Free Fishing Day:

Castaic Lake:

27514 W. Lake Hughes Road, Castaic; [phone] or [phone].

Pyramid Lake:

Pyramid Lake Road, Gorman; [phone] or [phone].

Elizabeth Lake:

Elizabeth Lake Road, Lake Hughes; [phone].

Lake Balboa:

630 Balboa Blvd., Encino; [phone].

Lincoln Park Lake:

3501 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles; [phone].

Echo Park Lake:

1632 Bellview Ave., Los Angeles; [phone].

Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson Lake:

905 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles; [phone].

Kenneth Hahn Park Lake:

4100 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles; [phone].

Peck Road Park:

5401 N. Peck Road, Arcadia; [phone].

Legg Lake:

823 Lexington-Gallatin Road, South El Monte; [phone].

Santa Fe Dam:

15501 E. Arrow Highway, Irwindale; [phone].

Puddingstone Lake:

120 E. Via Verde, San Dimas; [phone] or [phone].

Alondra Park Lake:

3850 W. Manhattan Beach Blvd., Lawndale; [phone].

La Mirada Park Lake:

13701 S. Adelfa Ave., La Mirada; [phone].

Cerritos Park Lake:

19700 S. Bloomfield Ave., Cerritos; [phone].

El Dorado Park Lake:

7550 E. Spring St., Long Beach; [phone].

Lake Piru:

2780 Piru Canyon Road, Piru; [phone] or [phone].

Lake Casitas:

11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura; [phone].

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (color) 11-year-old Brian Cobaincaught a catfish during the biannual free-fishing day at Lincoln Park in Los Angeles.

Gus Ruelas / Daily News

Box: LANDINGS (see text)