OUTPOST.

Byline: Daily News

No kid's stuff: The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation will hold its annual Adult Spring Fishing Derby on Saturday from 7-11 a.m. at Apollo Park, 4555 W. Ave. G in Lancaster. The event will take place rain or shine.

Contestants 16 and older with a valid California fishing license will be eligible for cash prizes awarded for the heaviest trout caught. Half the gate receipts will be awarded to the top six winners, and the remaining revenue will purchase trout for Youth Derby Day, slated for May 2 at the same facility.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. Information: [phone].

Nagano revisited: The Paralympic Winter Games begin today in Nagano, Japan, and the United States is represented by 35 disabled skiers in the Alpine and Nordic trials. The downhill team includes 17 men and nine women; nine men and women are scheduled to compete in the cross country events.

Maritime madness: Valley Ho Power Squadron again offers its eight-session boating course, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The course covers boat handling and maritime law, basic navigation, anchoring and safety at sea and will be held in the second-floor conference room at Canoga Cameras, 22065 Sherman Way in Canoga Park. Information: [phone].

Fishin' fools unite: The 53rd annual Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show continues through Sunday at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Ave. in Long Beach.

More than 1,200 exhibits include some 200 makes of freshwater and saltwater vessels and a wide assortment of rods, reels, lures and electronics. Tackle can be sampled at six casting pools. And more than 20 daily seminars will feature such fishing experts, pros and guides as Don Iovino, Carol Martin, Rich Tauber, Mike Gardner, Nick Curcione, Terry and Wendy Gunn and radio personality Ronnie Kovach, who will bring his Penn Fishing University and Eagle Claw Fishing School and accompanying instructors.

Admission is $9 for adults and free for children 12 and younger. Show hours are 2-10 p.m. today and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Information: [phone].

Speaking of boats: Nationally, sales of pleasure boats rose more than 5 percent in 1997. Sales of inboards were strongest, up 6.4 percent. Outboard boat sales were up 5 percent. And sales of bass boats represented one-third of all outboard boat sales, according to several business-trend authorities.

For the birds: Among the fastest-growing activities in outdoor recreation, bird-watching has grown most, 155 percent from 1982 to 1995 (from 21 million people to 54 million people).

If you want to share in this experience, the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society hosts a number of bird walks, including its final beginner's and family bird walk of the season, scheduled for March 14 at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area. To get there: From Burbank Boulevard, turn north at Woodley Avenue and right onto the Woodley Avenue Park road flagged with a sign indicating the wildlife area. Bear right where the road forks and continue for a quarter-mile to the first parking lot on the left. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. Information: [phone] or [phone].

Tag, you're it: The Department of Fish and Game has adopted a new twist to an angler-incentive program that provides essential data on shark populations, growth rates and migration patterns.

Dubbed the Tag/Flag Tournament, it is designed to encourage anglers to tag and release the denizens. Fishermen are not only rewarded by knowing that the practice helps ensure the survival of the population, those who tag and release at least 10 thresher and/or shortfin mako sharks (in the aggregate) before Oct. 31 will be rewarded with a pennant suitable for flying at mast. In addition, trophies will be presented to each angler and captain who lands, tags and releases the most fish in a species.

The Pelagic Shark Tagging Program was inaugurated by the department in 1983; the prizes are new. Since 1983, more than 8,900 sharks have been tagged by volunteer anglers and released, including some 6,500 blues (the most) and three smoothhounds (the least). Information: [phone].