OUTPOST.

< --Big Fish: Kevin Wright of West Hills recorded two 2 1/2-pound black crappie two weeks ago during a fishing round at Lake Piru. The fish were caught on a chartreuse feather jig and were captured during a 10-minute span.

--Fund-raising this weekend: The annual San Gabriel Valley Chapter of Quail Unlimited will have its annual fund-raising banquet and dinner Saturday at Coco's Restaurant in Arcadia at 5:30 p.m.

Cost is $60 per person (or $85 a couple) and includes dinner and an annual membership in Quail Unlimited. There will be two raffles, including a special raffle for a Ruger Red Label 20 gauge.

For more information call Mary Morris at [phone] or Tim Bovard at [phone].

--Youth derby: The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation will be hosting its 28 edition of the Youth Fishing Derby on Saturday at Apollo Park, located at 4555 W. Avenue G in Lancaster.

There is no cost to participate in the event and is open for kids ages 5-15. Fishing licenses will not be required for participation.

The event begins with a 6 a.m. registration and will go on from 7-10 a.m.

Prizes will be awarded to the top boy and girl in each of the four divisions set by derby officials.

Information [phone].

--Fishing in May-June: The Southern California Trout Championships, scheduled to run May 12 through June 4, will be taking place at Irvine Lake in Orange County.

The championship features tagged fished ranging from $2 to $100 in prizes - including rods, reels, lake admissions and other selected prizes for the top 25 fish. The grand prize is a trip for two to British Columbia's Salmon King Resort, awarded courtesy of the Oak Bay Marine Group.

According to Steve Miller, Irvine Lake's general manager, there are no requirements to join. Anglers are automatically eligible to participate once they purchase the lake's fishing permit.

Besides the trout, the lake will have larger amounts of other fish as the weather gets warmer. Bass, catfish, bluegill and crappie are expected to pop out in large quantities later this month.

A fishing license is not required to fish the lake. For more information, call [phone], e-mail at Irvine Lake(AT_SIGN)aol.com or visit the Web site at www.fishinghotpage.com/Irvine.

--Month-long fishing: Lake Powell, located in Page, Ariz., will be the host of an all-May event in which a single tagged striped bass could be worth $1 million. The award will be given to the angler if the fish is caught during the promotion, happening May 1 through May 24. There will also be 19 other tagged stripers for vacation packages and other prizes.

The contest is to generate interest in striped bass fishing to help reduce the numbers of fish in the lake. Nearly one million striper fingerlings were planted at Lake Powell 25 years ago. Since then, the population has grown to an estimated 2.5 million fish.

There is no entry fee to fish in the event and only a valid Arizona or Nevada fishing license is required for the competition. The $1 million prize will be awarded in annual installments for a period of 25 years.

Contest details are available at www.visitlakepowell.com or by calling (800) 945-LAKE.

--Banquet held: The California Waterfowl Association will be hosting a fund-raising dinner and banquet June 23 at The Sportsman's Lodge in Studio City.

The cost is $65 per person or $95 per couple. Juniors 17 and under will be admitted for $35.

CWA is a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting and enhancing California's wetlands.

For more information, contact Frank Zebell at [phone].