OUTPOST.

July skiing: It's strange to imagine slaloming down the slopes in the morning and watching Independence Day fireworks that night. Heck, Outpost stopped reporting state ski conditions in early April.

But Mammoth Mountain is still loading chairs and will continue to do so until July 4.

The bottom half of the mountain is bare, but the gondola is taking skiers to runs with two to six feet of snow on the upper elevations.

Meanwhile, the road to Reds Meadow has been cleared of snow and visitors are being shuttled to Devils Postpile National Monument and trailheads to a plethora of other High Sierra back-country locales.

Catfish plant: In anticipation of the Fourth of July, some 5,000 pounds of channel catfish will be stocked at Irvine Lake on Tuesday.

``These catfish should be in a biting mood by the time anglers get on the lake and start fishing (on the holiday),'' said Jim Niemiec, new general manager at the Orange County lake. ``We were able to enter into a long-term agreement with a private breeder who has been raising large catfish for special events.''

A 54-pound channel cat was recently boated by Ron Staub of Orange using mackerel.

Information: [phone].

Night action: A largemouth-bass fishing tournament will take place Saturday night at Castaic Lake's lower lagoon.

There is a 40-boat limit; large motors are allowed. The cost is $100 per team.

Information: [phone].

What pound test, Deion?: One thing that was woefully under-reported about Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders arrest for trespassing while bass fishing in Florida last Wednesday is the tackle he was using.

Plugs or spoons? Plastic worms or live shad? Does he prefer working the top water or deeper applications? And what pound test line does he use? At least he knew what to tell the authorities.

``The only defense I have is that I'm sorry, but they were biting,'' Sanders, 28, told the News-Press of Fort Myers. ``I wasn't out there 10 minutes and they caught me. But I had 10 fish by that time.''

Elk dinner: The San Fernando Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will host its second annual Big Game Banquet July 13 from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 21433 Strathern St. in Canoga Park.

The fund-raising dinner will support the foundation's commitment to hiking, hunting, camping and other recreational opportunities. Tickets start at $30 for adults and are $15 for ages 15 and younger.

Information: [phone] or 709-0577.

Shooting match: The Corona Sportsmen's Club will host a three-gun (rifle, handgun and shotgun) Rolling Thunder bowling pin shooting match at its range beginning 8 a.m. Sunday. The main match will consist of the three-person team shooting shotgun, rifle and handgun, and there is a team .22-caliber rimfire match.

The Corona club also has running deer, trap, IPSC, black powder, cowboy, bench rest, handgun steel, combat pistol, practical rifle, and high power rifle matches each month. Information: [phone].

For the dogs: The Santa Clarita Chapter of Quail Unlimited will host its third annual snake-avoidance clinic for dogs July 13-14 at Emblem Elementary School in Saugus.

Time slots are from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Individual sessions last 20 minutes or less.

Professional dog trainer Patrick Callaghan will teach pooches how to avoid being bitten by rattlesnakes. Any dog over the age of 6 months can attend. The cost is $50. Information: [phone].

Kayak fishing: Free instruction on how to fish from a kayak will be offered from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. July 6 at Semana Nautica, adjacent to Santa Barbara's Sea Landing.

The dryland seminar taught by Jerry Esten, a Northridge tackle manufacturer and writer who has been kayak angling for the past decade, will go over technique, use of lures and safety tips. Call Esten at [phone] for more details.

Fair warning: More people die in alcohol-related boating accidents during the Fourth of July weekend than any other weekend of the year, according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BOAT/U.S.).

``Drinking and boating is a serious safety issue any day of the week, but it's far worse during Independence Day celebrations,'' said Richard Schwartz, president of the Alexandria, Va., organization.

There could be as many as 60 deaths across the nation's waterways over the long holiday weekend, and alcohol will be a factor in nearly half of them, Schwartz.