OUTPOST.

Byline: Daily News and Wire Services

One for the books: When Barstow's Rick Moser and his 12-year-old son, Zack, were notified that the four behemoth catfish they landed Aug. 28 represented the largest stringer ever registered at Irvine Lake, they seemed to take it in stride.

``We never expected a catch like this,'' said the elder Moser, who enjoys three-day summer fishing weekends at Irvine with his son every couple of weeks. ``It's by far the biggest stringer we've ever taken at the lake.''

The 183.7-pound combined catch marked a record for a four-fish haul at the Orange County fish-for-a-fee facility. The Mosers used strips of cut mackerel dipped in stink bait on 3/0 hooks and 15-pound line. They targeted the waters of Santiago Flats and West Cove.

Individually, the fish weighed 49-1/2, 47.1, 45.2 and 41.9 pounds. The lake's single catfish standard is a 76-1/2-pound blue catfish landed Dec. 25, 1996, by Samuel Heminger of Anaheim.

Big bass bucks: Fishing's most elusive record - breaking the 1932 largemouth bass standard of 22-1/4 pounds - just got a little more enticing.

The Big Bass Record Club, formed this year in Tampa, Fla., claims it will pay $5 million to any club member who eclipses the 66-year-old bucketmouth mark.

Those interested in joining the coterie (membership is $13) can call toll free [phone] or visit the Web site www.recordbass.com.

Tourney time: Western Outdoors News' seventh annual Double-Haul-In-The-Fall trout-fishing contest will take place Sept. 19 at Crowley Lake in the Eastern Sierra.

The 1997 event drew 250 fly-anglers to ply the waters from float tubes and other self-propelled watercraft. More than $6,000 in prizes will be offered. The inaugural tournament in 1992 drew 75 participants.

The fee is $20. Anglers may register by calling [phone], ext. 31 or ext. 38, or sign up at Crowley Lake Fish Camp.

For the birds: The early season migratory upland game bird regulations for band-tailed pigeon are as follows: The season runs from Sept. 19-27 in Northern California counties, and Dec. 19-27 in the Southland. Limits are two per day, two in possession.

Comments: Numbers appear healthy, including in popular Frazier Park, according to Department of the Fish and Game associate wildlife biologist and upland game specialist Sam Blankenship.

Pigeon hunters enjoy the ``pass shooting'' aspect of hunt. Like doves, pigeons fly overhead - in flocks of 20 to 30 - and make very fast, erratic movements. The short season is due to concerns of declining populations in flyways.

For more details, call the DFG regional office in Long Beach at [phone] or the Upland Game Unit of the DFG's Wildlife Management Division at [phone].

Duck dinner: The Rancho Cucamonga chapter of Southern California Ducks will host its 14th annual banquet and fund-raising dinner at 6 p.m. on Sept. 17 at Imagine That!, 1318 W. Ninth St., Suite A in Upland. Tickets are $50 per person. SoCal Ducks has funded a number of wetland developments, restoration and preservation efforts, with all of the monies raised being used on Southern California projects.

Information: [phone] or [phone].

Governor signs: Gov. Pete Wilson recently signed an outdoors bill designed to create better fishing opportunities and improve hunter safety. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, also allows alternative payment options for license agents and provides the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) with an extended time period for the evaluation of fishing regulations.

The bill replaces one-day sport-fishing licenses with two-day licenses good for consecutive days at no additional cost. It will require non-residents to complete hunter safety standards before purchasing a license to hunt birds and small-game animals for a period of two or more days.

Under the law, the DFG creates a policy for accepting credit cards, business checks and other methods of payment that make selling a license more convenient for licensing agents. The bill creates an earlier deadline for public opinions, which gives the Fish and Game Commission more time for analysis of sport-fishing regulations.

Information: [phone].

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PHOTO Band-tailed pigeon